The Bottom Line
by stupidsuckedinreader
Summary: AH:Bella Swan is climbing the corporate ladder. She is finally assigned a new employee to manage. Will this self proclaimed good girl break all of the rules of corporate America to have the one man she can't? BXE.
1. Chapter 1: FML

Story Summary. This story is inspired by the Lily Allen Song 22. Bella Swan is climbing the ranks at a large, multinational conglomerate, lovingly referred to as Big Bad Corporation. She is finally given her first chance to manage a person, an underling. What happens when all she can think about is being under her underling? Slightly OOC characters BXE.

**A/N: I own nothing and only claim the premise and the storyline. I do not own the characters. I am just playing around. Thanks to LouderthanSirens, Poo235, IsabelGrace and LittleSecret84 for beta'ing, pre-reading and helping me with this story. I would also like to thank the hotness in my office who serves as my inspiration.**

The Bottom Line -

Isabella Swan looked down at her computer. She hated Mondays. She made a habit to skim her blackberry every Sunday night; that way there would be no suprises when she walked into the office on Monday. It, however, did not lessen the blow that it was still Monday. Itwasn't that Bella, as she preferred to be called, minded her job; she loved it. She just enjoyed her weekends too.

_Work hard, play hard. _She thought to herself. It tended to be the company motto for those under a certain age. However, at 29, Bella was torn. She didn't feel like she was 29. She surely didn't look like she was 29. She still wore her dark brown hair with auburn highlights long; her pale skin was wrinkle and blemish free as well. The one sign of aging Bella had begun to notice, besides the occasional wiry gray hair, was her metabolism was slowing down. Her size six pants had started to feel a bit snug and she swore lately whenever she ate hamburgers and fried foods she could feel her hips spreading.

Bella didn't think she acted like a 29 year old. She enjoyed going out to bars, dancing at clubs, and listening to undiscovered bands out in Brooklyn.

Bella's apparent youth was a good thing, as Big Bad Corporation seemed to be run by forty year olds. She had only once witnessed a person retiring. Once. Usually, the company found a reason to downsize before it had to shell out a retirement package to its employees. For this reason alone, Bella was very cautious about her retirement savings account and, therefore, always tried to max out her 401(k).

It was hard; living in New York City was expensive. Her company was known to underpay its employees but the benefits were what kept the employees happy. She did have great healthcare benefits and always had access to discounts on a wide range of products - either ones the company itself manufactured or ones its customers did. Besides, it wasn't like she worked for a _Fortune 500 _company. No, Bella Swan was climbing the ranks at a _Fortune 10 _company.

Her job was more than just a job, but Bella was still unsure if this was her career. She had started in the company's exclusive trainee program immediately after she graduated from the University of Washington. The trainee program consisted of four six-month rotations in various businesses that the corporation owned. Ah, the joys of working at a multi-national conglomerate. Bella Swan could converse in all of the company's product lines - from bottled water, to financing, to even underwear manufacturing. After being a rotationer, as they were called, she accepted a full-time position. She currently worked with the financing arm of the business and had been in the same department for almost five years_. _In those five years, Bella had been promoted once, from analyst to senior analyst. It was a bump in pay but the responsibilities were still the same - crunching numbers for the bigwigs.

None of Bella's friends had stayed at a company that long. Most of her friends, as well as most people in her generation, tended to jump from one company to the next, always trying to get paid just a little bit more. Bella had never seen the need to do that. She liked working for the Big Bad Corporation. True, it was far away from her family, but she was loyal to the company. Besides, in this current economic climate, where was she going to go? Bella hated the thought of starting someplace new, having to make new work friends with her coworkers.

"Espresso?" Alice Brandon, Bella's closest friend, both in and out of the the office, asked.

Alice Brandon did not look like the typical person to work in the technology department. She was short, she had spike black hair, wore high heels, loved to wear trendy clothes, and had a wicked sense of humor. Alice had once confided in Bella that she actually considered taking a job as an assistant buyer for Bloomingdales, but she thought that the job would not be challenging enough. "Once you learn how to pick out the clothes, the only thing that changes is the styles. What's the fun in that?" Alice liked technology. She liked that it was forever evolving and now ten years after the Internet bubble had burst, there were more women in the field. At least enough in Alice's mind that she felt comfortable wearing pink. Not that it would have stopped Alice before, but finally her department was not male dominated. Alice managed technology project development for new systems that the business used. At least that was how Bella understood Alice's job to be.

"Sure." Bella said as she hit the control-alt-delete to lock her computer. Bella didn't drink coffee but would usually get a water, tea, or hot chocolate when Alice attacked the Illy machine.

As she and Alice walked to the kitchenette, Bella took the opportunity to complain. "Alice, are we ever going to upgrade to the latest Office suite. My clients keep sending me Excel 2007 documents. We are running what, Office 2003?"

"Try Office 2000. Babe, it's not up to me. All of those decisions are made by corporate." Alice replied.

Corporate. Big Bad Corporation oversaw each of its divisions from offices in the suburbs of New York City. Most decisions were made at the corporate level. It was an honor to be asked to work for Corporate, but Bella had no desire to do so. She had heard from various sources that everyone who worked there spent most of their time managing upwards, kissing butt, and pushing paper. Bella hated the idea of doing any of that. It was bad enough that corporate usually put forth various initiatives to stimulate the company's culture. Not only did BBC create values which it tried to instill upon its employees, but for the annual and semi-annual reviews, employees were then measured on how well they met those values in their job. Even though Bella was happy with Big Bad Corporation, she found it to be almost cult-like.

"That blows," Bella said with a shrug, If someone higher complains enough, then maybe things will change." Executive complaining was the only way for anything to ever change.

"So, Saks Fifth Avenue's friends and family sale starts today. Want to hit up the shoe department after work?" Alice asked. Her face had instantly lit up as she turned the conversation toward one of her favorite activities, shopping.

"Alice, I'll have to see. I have a pitch-out tomorrow," Bella replied, cringing at using the word pitch. It was a presentation but Big Bad Corporation bastardized the entire English language into corporate-speak. "I should get back to my cube before anyone notices I am gone, or rather, before anyone notices I'm even here."

"Bella! When was the last time you went out and had fun?" Alice asked, trying to get her friend to stay and chat just a bit longer.

Bella knew she was really asking when was the last time Bella got laid. It had been awhile. Long ago she had ceased one-night stands and dating was starting to seem pointless - being set up, speed dating, even the internet, no one seemed to click.

"A few weeks. Work has been really busy. We are trying to make our numbers," Bella lied. It had been four months. Four grueling months. Four months where her vibrator, George Jetson, had become her nightly pal. She had named it after the cartoon character from the future because Bella was not sure if she really needed a man. These days with sperm banks and vibrators, George really was the man of the future.

"Alice, I gotta get back. Ping me later." Bella replied, hurrying down the hallway back to her cubicle. Ping, another corporate-ism for the online chat tool used by Big Bad's employees.

"Bella, you are getting as bad as Rosalie. Don't make me sweep the cobwebs out of your who-ha for you," Alice called out to Bella as she was walking back to her cube. Alice didn't care that she had said _who-ha _a little too loud for the workplace.

Bella's love life had become nonexistent after her one friend with benefits, or as he called himself, her fuck buddy, Jacob Black, met someone else. Jake worked in a garage with a bunch of his friends out in Glen Cove on Long Island, fixing up cars they could only dream of affording. He and his friends would take the train to the city on the weekends to go to clubs. With too much cologne, too much hair product, and their discounted designer clothes, they would travel in packs at bars and clubs. They always got bottled service and invited all the pretty ladies around them to join in on their alcohol on the small chance one of them may talk to them. Bella had been one of those ladies.

Jake made her laugh and a friendship quickly developed. They tried not to hang out around their friends. Bella did not care for Jake's pack of guys, as they always walked around the city like they had something to prove and wanted to be seen. By whom, Bella was unsure of, still to this day. Her friends thought Jake was B&T, bridge and tunnel – someone who lived outside Manhattan, and a little too rough around the edges. Bella liked that Jake was nice and when he had come into the city, he had happily scratched Bella's itch. Bella suspected that Jake was just glad to have had a place to crash in the city and didn't have to worry about getting the last train out at two in the morning. She hadn't seen him that often, and when they were together, she compared their relationship to ordering flour-less chocolate cake for dessert. You could get it anytime but it wasonly special if you got it on occasion; otherwise it wouldn't be special and it would go straight to your hips. Their relationship ended amicably as these things often do. They still texted occasionally, but Jake was fully committed to his girlfriend, Vanessa.

Alice Brandon had done the single gal routine with Bella in their early twenties but had recently taken her casual relationship with Jasper Whitlock to the next level. They were getting serious and Jasper, a tall southern boy, who worked as one of the curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was head over heels in love with Alice. Bella was happy for her friend, but wished she could find something similar.

Once she was back at her desk, Bella plunged into her daily routine. She opened up her web browser and set it to iGoogle. Big Bad Corporation blocked the chat feature, but she could at least check her gmail. After seeing no interesting personal mail, she opened up her ancient version of Excel and began crunching numbers. Halfway through the morning, Sam Uley, Bella's boss, stopped by her cube. Sam was young, incredibly handsome, with dark, jet black hair, piercing brown eyes and a knack for being able to pull together a financing deal from the brink of disaster. He had made a name for himself at Big Bad Corporation and was on is way to being a Chief Financial Officer, CFO, or even a CEO of one of the many divisions.

"Isabella, how was your weekend?" He didn't wait for her to answer, as he didn't care about the answer. "So, come into my office in five minutes. I have to talk to you," Sam said as he rushed back to his office. He was a very straightforward manager; she always knew where she stood in his book ,and despite appearances, he was compassionate. He happily allowed his employees to work from home on sick days and holidays.

Taking a deep breath, Bella prepared for the worst. She was getting laid off. The company had to reduce costs and downsizing was one way to do so. She quickly typed a message to ping over to Alice.

Isabella Marie Swan: _Omg Alice. Sam wants to see me in his office. I am getting canned._

Alice Brandon: _B- You are totes fine. Retail therapy tonight?_

Isabella Marie Swan: _Maybe. Gotta go._

Bella grabbed her notepad, blackberry and a pen and hurried into Sam's office.

"Shut the door, Isabella," Sam stated sternly from behind his cherry desk. He was still reading emails on his screen while also talking to her. Sam was the king of multi-tasking.

Nervously, Bella shut the door and sat down in one of the two chairs across from her beautiful boss. She bit her lip with anticipation. "You wanted to see me?" Her voice cracked as the words left her mouth. She looked around. On Sam's desk were three silver picture frames. The first was a wedding portrait of his wife, Emily. The second picture was a family picture with Sam, Emily and their son Ephram. The third picture was the CEO of Big Bad Corporation shaking Sam's hand at an awards dinner. Next to the pictures were tombstones from finished deals. Tombstones were momentos from closed deals that signified the amount of money Bid Bad Corporation had loaned to each specific customer. Bella herself had a few tombstones, but Sam had multiple ones displayed on his desk and on his bookshelf.

"Isabella, are you nervous? I didn't call you in for anything bad." Sam finally turned to face her, only to glance back at his screen when a notification popped up announcing a new email had arrived. The entire company was addicted to being connected - all of the time.

"You didn't?" Bella was pleasantly shocked. For once, she had not done something wrong. Maybe she would celebrate with a pair of shoes after all.

"No, I wanted to let you know that I want you to manage the rotationer who will be starting with our team next week."

"You want me to manage someone?" Bella replied . She was in shock that she was being given more responsibility. She had waited for this day for so long. This was a chance to show she was ready for more.

"Yes, you haven't been pushed enough and I wanted to start to develop your managerial skills. Corporate let me know that we will, in fact, be getting a rotationer and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for you. Do you not want it? I can ask someone else. I'm sure either Mike, Eric, or Lauren wouldn't mind..."

"No! I'd be happy to manage a rotationer. That's great." Bella was excited. She had loved being a rotationer. Rotationers were fresh out of school, moving to a new city every six months, always having challenging work assignments - it had been an exciting time in her life. Bella began thinking about the rotationer she would get. She wondered what school they had graduated from. She hoped they would at least be 21; there was one rotationer in her year who had started at age 20 and could never go out to happy hours.

"That's settled then. I will let corporate know today. I will forward you any emails on your rotationer," Sam said, turning back to his email. He then glanced back at Bella. "Did you want something else?"

Bella shook her head, afraid that Sam would get mad and take away her new responsibility already. She could not wait to get back to her desk to let Alice know that she was getting a rotationer. Alice would be thrilled. It was like bringing home a new baby - would it be a boy or a girl? What would they call it? Most importantly, what work was Bella going to give this new rotationer?

Alice pinged Bella back, indicating she hoped for a girl. Maybe even a nerdy, bookish girl similar to the way she had found Bella. Alice had done an extensive makeover with Bella when they first met. Alice loved introducing people to the wonders of make-up and the art of fashion. In fact, Bella needed a little maintenance work, which was why Alice had suggested Saks.

As the minutes closed in on 5PM, Bella looked down at her ever-growing to-do list and sent Alice one final ping of the day:

Isabella Marie Swan: _Too much work for Saks. FML._

**A/N: Let me know what you think. Fics that have sucked me in recently:**

**-****The Cannabean Betrothal**

**-The University of Edward Masen**

**-Geek Love**

**-The Naked Guy Upstairs**

**There is a **_**fandom wide **_**fundraiser in support of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, a children's cancer research charity that was created by a wonderful young girl named Alex Scott.**

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**For more information please visit the website at www . thefandomgivesback . com There will be an auction starting 11/15-11/20, including an author auction, signed Twilight merchandise, arts and banners, etc. Please join us in helping the fight against children's cancer.**


	2. Chapter 2: Bennetts vs Jetsons

**A/N: Thanks to Isabel Grace and LittleSecret84 for pre-reading and encouraging me. Huge thanks to Poo235 for being my beta. extraordinaire. **

The Bottom Line

Chapter 2: Jetsons vs Bennetts

Back in the golden age of financial services firms, black Lincoln Town Cars used to line up outside the office to take the hard working, dedicated employees home. It didn't matter if a worker needed to go all the way to New Jersey or Connecticut; the company took care of its employees. Those days were over; Bear Sterns and Lehman Brothers saw to that.

Bella left her office well after a long day of making assumptions and valuating deals. Instead of getting into a sleek livery cab to take her home, she had to find her own means of transportation. With her laptop bag, purse, blackberry and trusted iPod in tow, she walked briskly to the entrance of the subway and swiped her monthly metrocard. She crossed the turnstile and placed the earbuds in her ear, hoping to tune out the day and everyone around her. It was late and there were very few people on the platform. It did not take long for the 6 train to arrive to whisk Bella back to her home in Yorkville, though she preferred to call it the Upper East Side.

Bella walked from the train station to her apartment, situated between 1st and York Avenues. As she walked, Bella felt the buzz of her blackberry from her bag and picked it up, taking her headphones off and draping them around her shoulders.

"Hello?" she asked as she held the mobile device up to her ear.

"Bella, dear. It is good to hear from you," said the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hi, Dad. What's new with you?"

"Well, Bells, I was wondering what you did all day? Your stock price keeps dropping," stated Bella's father, Charlie Swan.

Charlie Swan was a police chief in a small town out in Washington State. He was very proud of his daughter's success. The day she had accepted her offer to be part of the rotational program, he had bought several shares of Big Bad's stock. Though he had not been one to invest in the stock market, Charlie Swan had figured that any company that was smart enough to employ his daughter was worthy of his investment as well. Unfortunately, the current economic crisis caused Big Bad's stock, like other companies, to take a nose dive. Since then, it had rebounded some, but its price per share was still historically low for the conglomerate. Charlie Swan was under the incorrect assumption that Big Bad's stock performance was directly correlated to the work that Bella, and Bella alone, did each day.

"Dad! I worked very hard today. In fact, I am logging on as soon as I get home, as well. The stock price went down because...." Bella thought for a minute. She didn't really want to go into the details of how risk was measured and how a company's beta reflected how the stock reacted to fluctuations in the stock market. Bella sighed, "Dad, the market just doesn't understand how to price such a diverse company. What's going on in Forks?" She was anxious to change the subject.

"Not too much. We're getting ready to set some speed traps. Get some revenue from those summer tourists. Good times. Have you spoken to your mother lately?" Charlie asked. It wasn't that Charlie still thought about his ex-wife, Renee Dwyer, in a romantic sense; he was well aware of his daughter's strained relationship with her.

"You'd be so proud of me, I spoke to her last week for ten whole minutes!" Bella was quite pleased with the length of the conversation. She had told Renee about work and they had talked about the weather. It was as deep and meaningful of a conversation that they had in months. Bella knew her mother was envious of her success and had started to push her daughter away when Bella had started college, an opportunity never afforded Renee. "Oh, and dad, Sam gave me a new assignment today. I get to manage our team's rotationer. It's so cool, someone will be reporting to me."

"That's great, honey. You'll be a great manager. You have always taken such good care of your mother and me."

"Thanks, Dad," Bella started, "I'm almost at my door. Do me a favor? Stop watching the stock price. It will drive you nuts if you do. Think more long term," Bella said, balancing her blackberry between her ear and her shoulder as she fished her keys out of her bag.

"Bella, please be careful in that city. I know you say New York is safe..." Charlie stopped himself from continuing. His daughter had lived on her own for over a decade. She would always be his little girl, but he knew she was old enough to take care of herself. "Love you, kid." He sounded a little choked up, but then Charlie always sounded a little choked up when he hung up after talking to his daughter. The 2,991 miles that separated the two of them often made it feel like they lived on two completely seperate planets.

"Love you too, Dad." Bella clicked the end button on her phone and opened the door to her building. Although she could not afford a building with a doorman, Bella Swan lived in a very safe building with video camera security, and an elevator, a luxury in a city with lots of walk-up apartments.

Once inside her 480 square-foot, one-bedroom apartment, a palace by New York City standards, Bella prepared a quick salad for dinner and switched her laptop back on. She turned on her home's desktop computer and set her iTunes playlist to her classical playlist. While she waited for her connection to the corporate network to be authenticated on her laptop, Bella checked her personal email on her desktop. She tried to keep her personal and her work lives as separate as possible. As she glanced back to her laptop screen, it showed that her connection to the corporate network had been authenticated. Bella came to a sad realization: she had no life.

Alice had sent Bella several pictures of the purchases she had made at Sak's that evening. Alice would often take pictures of herself in dressing rooms and send them out to her family and friends, asking their opinions on the clothes she bought for herself. Picking up her blackberry to get the details on the shopping trip from Alice, Bella noticed she had a new email from work. Forgetting about calling back her best friend, she scrolled through the message that Sam had finally gotten around to sending.

_Bella,_

_Below are the details on your rotationer. He should be able to sit in the vacant cube right near yours. We will work together to flush out his assignment for his six months here. In the mean time, show him the ropes and have him observe the modeling work you are doing on our portfolio. _

_Let me know if you have any questions._

_Sam_

_Forwarded Message_

_Sam,_

_Edward Cullen has been assigned to work with your team for the upcoming rotation. He will be starting August 15. Please be sure to have a work area set-up for him prior to his arrival. All rotationers are supplied with a laptop furnished by corporate. If you have any questions, please reach out to me._

_Aro d'Toscani_

_Corporate Training Programs Director_

Looking at the date in Aro's email, Bella realized that Edward was starting tomorrow. She also looked at the date in which Aro had sent this email to Sam: August 1st. This was so typical of Sam; he always waited until the end of the day to send her such pertinent emails. While it infuriated her that Sam had sat on this email for two weeks, it was a behavior she had grown to expect from her manager.

Edward Cullen. Bella had not heard his name before, but then again, she had graduated the program several years ago. She decided to do a little investigating. With her laptop now connected to the corporate intranet, Bella decided she should first get the dish on Edward Cullen. Most employees had their pictures listed with their profile in the company directory. Edward, Bella soon learned, didn't, nor did he provide much detail in his profile. This would be his fourth rotation, which meant, unless he was the _Doogie Hauser _of the business world, Edward was definitely over 21. She saw that his current rotation was in Chicago, or at least it had been.

He must have moved already. Bella felt a pang of jealousy over the treatment provided with corporate moves. Despite the economy, rotationers were given relocation packages when they moved. In the times that Bella had moved, first from school to Ohio, then from Ohio to Florida, and then Florida to Upstate New York and finally to New York City, Bella witnessed first hand the detail to which the movers packed each item - each book in her collection had been individually wrapped in paper and packed in a box.

Knowing that Edward already had a place to sit, Bella sent in an urgent request to have a phone set up for him and to arrange for Edward to receive a security badge as well. Everything else could wait until tomorrow when she met him. Turning back to her multiple Excel spreadsheets she was currently working on, Bella focused back on work, completely forgetting to call Alice or any of her friends. This night was nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, this was a typical evening in her life. Though, one could argue that this wasn't much of a life. Bella herself realized this, but she knew she would not advance if she did not put in the hours, at least during the week; she also wouldn't enjoy any free time on the weekends.

Shortly before midnight, Bella's eyes started to droop and the numbers on the screen blurred together. Instead of motoring on, she shut both computers down and went to bed. Bella was excited and a little nervous about her first management assignment, and the more she thought about it, despite her exhaustion, she couldn't sleep. She opened up the drawer on her nightstand and viewed her two choices: an evening with George Jetson or _Pride and Prejudice. _For a moment, Bella contemplated multitasking and doing both, but she didn't think Elizabeth Bennett would approve. In the end, Bella chose the latter as it had been awhile since she had actually read a book. Lately, all she seemed to read were financial statements, due diligence reports, prospectuses, and annual reports. George Jetson would have to hold off for yet another night. While he would help settle her nerves, George had a way of getting Bella more riled up than relaxed.

She didn't get past the first chapter before her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep, with the lights on. Bella dreamed of nothing in particular, but it was no way related to work; instead it was of a picnic in a meadow with her friends.

* * *

Early the next day, Bella stood waiting on the subway platform with her iPod blaring as she tried to tune out her surroundings. Around her, other commuters were doing the same. She had chosen to wear an a-line skirt with a short sleeve sweater and ballet flats today. A few years ago, Bella had an incident in a similar style skirt when it flipped up as a train passed by and her underwear, a pair of Paul Frank underwear with a monkey on the butt, had been on display for everyone to see. Since then, Bella always left one hand free to hold down her skirt, or better yet, wear pants. However, on this hot summer day, a skirt allowed for necessary ventilation. As her feet sweated in her leather shoes, Bella regretted not wearing flip flops for her commute and changing into the ballet flats at the office.

It wasn't until Bella leaned over to check to see if she could see the lights of the train coming through the tunnel that she noticed the beautiful man in the pinstriped suit standing in her peripheral vision. Her hormones picked this moment to go wild. Suddenly, Bella cursed her choice of choosing the Bennetts over the Jetsons. Trying not to be obvious in gaping at him, Bella slipped her sunglasses off the top of her head and back over her eyes to conceal her gaze and took a few steps back to get a better view.

The man was a fine specimen of America, capitalisism, and idealism - tall, dark and handsome. From behind her sunglasses, Bella observed that this man had a strong muscular jaw, dark hair, slicked back, and a body that formed a perfect triangle. As a habit, Bella glanced down at his left hand; no ring, free game. In his expensive suit with a contrasting shirt and tie, the Wall Street Adonis stood there, completely unaware of his admirer as he _read The Financial Times. _She admired him from afar but would never have had the guts to approach him. He was just so breathtaking; Bella couldn't turn away. Thankfully, the train arrived.

Forgetting about the eye candy, Bella rushed onto the train with the other passengers and managed to secure a seat. More and more passengers pushed into the train before the doors closed and it began to move. Looking up from staring at her feet, Bella's eyes came to rest directly on the crotch belonging to the Wall Street Adonis. He was standing right in front of where she was sitting, still reading his newspaper. He was completely unaware of her watching him. She wanted to look away but she couldn't for she had been dickmatized.

The next ten minutes of Bella's commute, she observed his peen. From her vantage point, she could tell that he dressed impeccably and appeared to be very well endowed. Had she partaken in a session with George, Bella might not have felt so peckish, but with her eyes affixed to the Adonis' crotch, she couldn't help but fantasize about him.

In her head, Bella saw herself in the arms of the Adonis. His lips moved over hers, pulling her in. Her hand grazed the crotch of his pinstriped trousers, palming his hardened erection over his pants. His hands travelled down her back, under her buttocks until they pulled her leg up and hitched it around his torso. Their bodies aligned, his heat meeting hers, before he threw her down onto a bed and climbed on top of her. She grabbed at his rock, hard biceps, pulling herself closer to him. Bella closed her eyes as her body began to react to her mental picture. Then she imagined the words came out of his mouth, "Oh, baby, I'm a bull. Let me ride your bearish market back to a rebound."

Like that, Bella successfully cock-blocked her own fantasy. At the exact same moment those words entered into her head, the train stopped and the doors opened. The Adonis shuffled over to an empty seat out of her view. As Bella sat there waiting to get off at the next stop, she cursed herself again for her poor choice in bedtime activities. Tonight, Bella would have to make good use of George.

The rest of her train ride was not as exciting as her morning with the Wall Street Adonis. Bella pulled out her blackberry to check her email as she walked the two blocks from the subway to her office. She wished she was coordinated enough to not run into the other people scurrying to start the day in their cubicles. Too often, Bella found herself inches away from colliding with other people.

Scanning over the messages, she saw that Edward's phone was all set up already. She had not heard back from security. She wasn't too concerned about that, though; Edward was not expected to arrive until nine. Glancing at the clock, she realized she had at least thirty minutes, plenty of time to put her stuff down in her cubicle and still chat with Alice, before fetching him. Bella suddenly remembered that in the rush last night to get Edward set-up, she had forgotten all about calling her friend back. Bella felt like a failure as a friend. Alice always called Bella back, but she would also understand that Bella was preoccupied with her additional responsibilities.

Bella shuffled through the lobby of the Big Bad Corporation building, stopped briefly at the the security desk and alerted them that a new employee would be starting today and to call her extension when he arrived. She then swiftly swiped her security badge at the turnstile before running to the bank of elevators. With one hand, Bella used the messaging feature of her blackberry to ask Alice to join her at her cube. Had Bella not been so attached to her mobile lifeline, checking her email and messaging her friend, she would have noticed the man in the lobby watching her.

**A/N:In case you are not versed in corporate/business terms, here is a definition for you: ****Business Valuation** is the process of determining how much a business is worth this is often done with deals too.


	3. Chapter 3: Corporate Skirt Code

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has started this story and to Poo235, Isabel Grace and LittleSecret84 for their help. Happy Thanksgiving to all the US readers.**

After her titillating commute, Bella was in a good mood. This mood lessened slightly when Alice was "sick" today. She messaged Bella that she was taking a mental health day and going with Jasper to the Hamptons for the day. Alice was Bella's salvation in the office. When she wasn't there, Bella was miserable.

This mood only darkened when Bella stepped onto her floor and came face to face with James Woods. No, not that James Woods. This James Woods was Bella's archenemy, as Alice liked to describe him. Both he and Bella had been hired at the same time and were rotationers together. While in orientation and training they had also been placed in a few groups together. James was controlling, obstinate and tried to suck up to every senior leader, and had no sense of humor. James still worked for Big Bad Corporation, but at headquarters. It was a great fit for him. Which was why Bella was surprised to see him at the office in New York.

"James! What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?" Bella asked, clenching her jaw. Her voice sounded saccharinely sweet. It was no secret that James and Bella didn't get along.

"Oh, just in town for some meetings. Confidential stuff – M&A activity. You know, things people in the businesses shouldn't be concerned with. Since I was here, I thought I would stop by and check in with Sam," James replied. Both Bella and James had interviewed for Bella's initial position under Sam. She always suspected she might have been picked because the team was lacking women and she would be fulfilling a diversity statistic. Now that Bella had been promoted to Senior Analyst, she felt much more confident that she was the right candidate regardless of what she was or wasn't sporting between her legs.

"So, they needed someone to take minutes and be the scribe at one of their meetings?" Bella retorted. At Big Bad Corporation, it was always the job of the least experienced or lowest level person in the room to take minutes at meetings.

James didn't respond. Bella smiled smugly at him. Vindication. "James, it was good seeing you, but I have a new rotationer starting here and I want to make sure everything is set up for him," Bella said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and quickly walking away.

After logging into her computer, Bella replied to emails, including one to Alice to pick her up a package of Tate's cookies from the Hamptons. The buttery goodness was worth the extra calories, she rationalized. She was about to settle into her day when her phone rang; Edward Cullen was waiting for her at the security desk. She asked them to send him up and she would meet him in the elevator bank on her floor.

As she waited for Edward to get off the elevator, Bella checked email again on her blackberry. She wondered if there was a twelve step program to overcome email addiction. Just when she felt she couldn't stand there away from her work a moment longer, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Instead of a strapping young man in the standard blue button down and khaki slacks with the look of inexperience in his eyes, out walked a man, clearly not 22, wearing a black suit with a white shirt, the top couple buttons were undone. Bella's eyes took in every detail of this man. He had unruly bronze hair that had been slicked back with gel, piercing green eyes, and a devilish smirk. Everything about him drew Bella in – his face, his hair, his clothes, and as her eyes examined him more, his crotch. His toned body reminded her of the Wall Street Adonis on the subway, but Edward was even hotter, although she hadn't thought that was possible.

Realizing her mouth was agape, Bella took in a deep breath and shut her mouth quickly, trying to refocus in order to speak with this gorgeous creature. She had so many questions for him. What was someone his age doing in a post-undergraduate rotation program? Was he married? Was he seeing anyone? Did he mind if she humped him this afternoon? These were all questions Bella wanted the answer to, but given corporate policy and human resources rules, she would never be able to ask.

"Edward, nice to meet you," Bella greeted him. It was awkward, since they had been standing there in the hallway, in silence for what seemed to be several minutes. She extended her hand out in front of her to shake his hand.

"Isabella Swan?" Edward responded, extending his hand to meet hers. As they shook hands, Bella could not help but feel a spark between them. A spark that made her nether-regions tingle with glee that only George had ever incited.

"Let me show you to your cubicle, Edward," Bella stated as she still had hold of Edward's hand in hers. She slowly pulled away. Her hand instantly felt the absence of his. "Follow me this way." Bella with Edward, a few steps behind, began to walk over to his cubicle.

"The kitchenette is three hallways down, that way." Bella motioned to her left as they turned a corner.

"This is my cubicle and right next to it is yours. Sam, my manager, sits over there." She motioned to Sam's closed door. "You'll meet him later today. He's in a meeting all afternoon. Why don't you get settled? Make yourself at home." _Relax. Take off your clothes._

Edward nodded and entered his cube. He set his laptop bag on the desk and began to unpack its contents. Bella stood there awkwardly. She glanced down at his left hand. No ring, though that didn't mean anything. She knew plenty of married men who didn't wear wedding bands. It would just have to come out in small talk.

"Isabella?" Edward turned to her. His voice jostled her out of her own head. "There is something wrong with the docking station. It's not turning on."

It took a minute for the words to register. _Did he just say something about being turned on? _Bella thought. She looked down at him where he now sat at the desk. _Pull it together, Swan. You are a professional._

"Hmm... Let me take a look. I'm friends with someone in IT. Oh, and call me Bella, please." She bent over Edward and fooled with the power button. Nothing.

"Ah ha! I think I know what the issue is," Bella cried, bending down and crawling under Edward's legs. She moved around on her hands and knees until she found the plug and the socket. It was as she had suspected – the power cord was unplugged. She quickly plugged it back in. It wasn't until she had scooted herself out from under the desk and stood up she realized she had just done this in a skirt. She looked over at Edward, hoping he had not seen anything improper, but he was shifting in his chair and had on an even bigger smirk than he'd had when he had stepped off the elevator.

"Power cords. Alice says it's the first rule of technology – make sure the computer is even plugged in." She said, sounding as flighty as she could. Edward's smirk didn't dissipate. "Edward," she stated much more sternly, "once you power up, let me know and we will find a conference room to go over your rotation here." Bella pivoted and briskly walked the few steps back to her cube, hoping the crimson hue on her face would settle down.

"Edward, when I was fixing your computer issue, I hope you didn't see anything you shouldn't have seen. I forgot I was wearing, uhh, such a short skirt," Bella said awkwardly as she and Edward sat in a small conference room.

"No, Bella. I didn't see anything I shouldn't have seen." Edward shook his head when he spoke. He was still smirking.

Looking at him with his smirk, Bella wasn't sure if she wanted to kiss him or slap him to wipe that smirk off his face. "Well, Edward, before we go into the details of your rotation here, why don't you give me a little background on yourself?" Bella asked, folding her hands together on the table. She resisted the urge to unlock her blackberry.

Edward took in a deep breath. "Edward Cullen, fourth rotationer. My first rotation was in Los Angeles where I worked for Big Bad's advertising agency division. Then I was sent to Cincinnati where I worked with the management of our underwear factory," he said dryly.

"I did that rotation in Cincy!" Bella cried with almost too much enthusiasm. She crinkled her nose. "Only good thing about that city was -"

"Skyline Chili!" both she and Edward shouted in unison. Their eyes met and they smiled at one another. Relief washed over Bella as she realized they had just established a connection, even if it was just a popular chain restaurant in the city.

"So good. I loved the three-way," Edward commented.

Bella didn't reply. She was lost in her thoughts as soon as the words three-way came out of Edward's mouth. Though Bella knew a three-way was spaghetti, chili and cheese, she was thinking about Edward, the Wall Street Adonis and her together. Naked. She licked her lips and then remembered this was a business meeting. _George was definitely making an appearance tonight. Screw Jane Austin._ Bella refocused again.

"Me too," she choked out. Lifting her head from the table she saw that Edward was once again smirking.

"My third rotation was in Chicago, at our latex division. I'm really excited to be working in our financing division, but more importantly, coming home to New York City." As he spoke about moving back home, Edward's entire face lit up.

"Oh, you grew up in New York?" Bella asked, crossing her legs.

"Not New York, technically. I grew up in Connecticut. I haven't lived around here since high school."

"Where'd you go to school?"

"Dartmouth. It feels like another lifetime ago, though." Edward said dismissively. He didn't continue further into his past but stared blankly at the wall behind Bella.

"So, your rotation here," Bella said quickly, changing the subject. She realized Edward didn't want to talk about his past, though he had piqued her curiosity. "You will be working directly under me..." As soon as the words left her mouth, Bella was fantasizing about sitting naked on top of Edward, riding him cowgirl style. _Poor choice of words. Get it together! _"Together we will be working on deal profitability models. While we model everything in Excel, all of our output is inputted into OPP."

Edward lowered his eyebrow at her and glanced at her sideways.

"Oh, OPP. Yes, like the song. It's an old system we've been using well before Naughty by Nature. It stands for Opportunity Profitability Portfolio," Bella replied with a smile as Edward let out a small chuckle. He was warming up to her at least slightly.

Bella continued to discuss the rotational assignment with Edward. From the questions he was asking, she could tell he was very intelligent and seemed like he would fit in well here, but he maintained mum in providing more details about who he was. After the meeting, Bella took Edward around to introduce him to the rest of the team. She was curious to see if Edward's opinions of her coworkers, would match her own.

First person he met, Mike Newton. Mike was a few years older than Bella, married with two small children. Mike was a nice guy, but he seemed to be perfectly content just breezing by doing the bare minimum. Mike wasn't a threat to Bella, but he would probably find a way to jump ahead of her anyways – pure, dumb luck. He tended to drone on and on during meetings using ten words for an answer, when a simple yes or no would suffice. The other thing that annoyed Bella about Mike was that he went to the gym every morning before work and then ate greasy food at lunch and complained about gaining weight. Finally, Bella couldn't stand was how he would always brought the conversation back to his children and how amazing they were. It wasn't that Bella found children annoying; she was annoyed that Mike spoke incessantly about how his children were amazing at even the tiniest of feats, and believed that other people actually gave a damn about them as passionately as he did.

No, Bella did like children. She sincerely believed she wanted to be a mother one day. The Marissa Tomei voice in her head did remind her that at 29, her biological clock was ticking. Bella preferred to hit the snooze bar, at least for now.

"Mike, this is our new rotationer, Edward." Bella gestured to Edward.

Edward and Mike shook hands. It was brief and normal, the complete opposite of the handshake Bella and Edward had exchanged.

"Edward, which rotation is this for you?" Mike asked. Before Edward had a chance to answer, Mike continued talking. "I didn't do the rotational program. I was a consultant for five years before coming to Big Bad. My son Aiden said the cutest thing the other day...."

Bella looked over at Edward as Mike continued his story about how his son said the cutest thing. Edward was nodding along politely at Mike's story.

After Bella managed to save Edward from hearing about potty training progress, she grudgingly led him over to Lauren's cubicle.

Lauren Mallory and Bella didn't get along. It wasn't as though Bella hadn't tried to befriend her; they were about the same age and should have had a lot in common. However, Lauren was a Grade A, certifiable, back-stabbing bitch. She was the portrait of perfection: tall, extremely skinny, with non-existent hips, long blonde hair, and only dated investment banker types. It's not that Lauren wasn't a gold digger; she just wanted a man who was as ambitious and power hungry as she was as she had once explained to Bella during a drunken rant at a happy hour. Bella quickly learned not to trust Lauren. A few months after Bella started working as an analyst, Lauren purposely gave Bella the wrong money cost to use in a valuation. Then at Sam's staff meeting, Lauren pulled out the correct valuation . She had made Bella look incompetent on purpose.

Bella knew that Lauren would treat Edward just as she had every other rotationer, like a speck of dirt on her shoe that she couldn't be bothered with.

"Lauren, this is Edward, the rotationer Sam asked me to manage," Bella announced as she and Edward strolled up to Lauren's cubicle.

Lauren glared at Bella and nodded at Edward. "Nice to meet you, Edward."

"Nice to meet you too, Lauren," Edward said. Lauren had already swiveled back to her computer.

As they walked down to the next cube, Edward looked at Bella. "Is she always like that?" he asked.

"Oh, no. She's in a good mood today," Bella replied.

"Lovely," Edward said with a smile.

The final team member was Tyler Crowley. He had asked Bella out on a few dates. She had told him she didn't date anyone she worked with. Tyler had dropped it. He had to. Big Bad Corporation demanded its employees sign a strict code of conduct. Asking Bella out to the point where it appeared to be more than an annoyance could be construed as sexual harassment.

Bella liked Tyler – as a friend. He was an okay guy. She wasn't particularly attracted to him. He wasn't ugly – he had dirty blonde hair, which he spiked with too much hair product, brown eyes and was almost always in the unofficial business casual uniform – polo shirt, and khaki pants. He was utterly generic.

Despite Tyler obviously wanting to be more than friends, he was the least annoying person on her team, so he was her go-to person when Alice was unavailable during the workday.

"Hey, Tyler. This is Edward Cullen, the new rotationer for our team," Bella announced.

"Hey, man, nice to meet you," Tyler said, extending his hand to shake Edward's. "Where'd you go school?"

Bella looked at Tyler. His eyes were sizing up this new guy. When Bella was present, Tyler often did this whenever he met any guy. Bella thought that Tyler was wondering if they had whatever she was looking for. _Gee, Crowley. Why don't you just whip it out and get a ruler to compare who has the bigger dick? _Bella thought with great annoyance. She would never be any man's property, let alone Tyler's.

"Looking forward to working with you, Taylor. I went to Dartmouth," Edward replied, crossing his arms. He looked over at Bella and arched an eyebrow. His expression seemed to convey to her that he didn't think too highly of Tyler.

"It's Tyler, bro. Dartmouth, that's an okay school. I went to Brown," Tyler retorted. His glare on Edward intensified.

Bella was anxious to learn more about Edward, alone. "Well, Tyler, I'm going to go give Edward a quick tour of the area so he knows where to go for lunch. See you later," Bella said. She was already a step away from Tyler's cubicle as she had a low tolerance for male insecurities. She walked quickly with Edward at her heels. They had to reach the elevators before Tyler followed them out.

"Stay here. I'll be right back," Bella instructed. She ran to her desk, grabbed her purse and returned to the elevators. She had not been spotted.

As the elevators doors closed with only Bella and Edward inside, Bella let out a deep breath.

"We made it!" she cried. Edward looked at her clearly confused, "Tyler would want to join us. He's a bit clingy," she explained.

"I got that from the way he was looking at me. Those Brown guys are a bit slow on the uptake." Edward's eyes reflected the light as he joked with her and for a minute Bella thought they sparkled.

"Lunch. Let's get you all set with security and then I will take you out to lunch. Wish it could be on the corporate card, but we have to watch our expenses," Bella replied.

Edward shrugged. Bella wished she could read his mind. He was very guarded with his thoughts. After getting Edward a security badge, they walked next to one another down Lexington Avenue. Bella felt this strange desire to hold his hand but fought it by folding her arms across her chest. They didn't talk much on their walk. Under the shield of her sunglasses, she kept making sideways glances at the man too beautiful to be walking next to her, even though he was.

"Burgers okay?" Bella asked as they walked into a higher-end burger joint.

"Oh, I''m a vegan," Edward replied. Bella looked back at him with her mouth agape. "Kidding. I love meat," he laughed. His hand grazed her shoulder.

"I love meat too," Bella replied absentmindedly before blushing. She couldn't believe she had just said that to someone who was supposed to be working for her. Bella realized she needed to talk to Alice – stat. As they sat across from one another in a booth, Bella pulled out her blackberry and sent Alice a message:

Isabella Swan: A – this rotationer is going to be the death of me. Call me ASAP.

As she waited for a response from her friend, Bella tried to make conversation with the enigma across the table. By the end of lunch, her hunger was satiated, but after answering her questions with one word answers, her interest in all things Edward wasn't.

**A/N: Currently I am sucked into the following stories:**

**Fourteen**

**Raising the Stakes**

**No Longer Alone.**


	4. Chapter 4: Hot Child in the City

_**A/N: Thanks to littlesecret84, be sure to check out her new story, The Brown Study. Also thanks to Isabel Grace and a huge congrats to my beta Poo235 on her new move and recovering what she lost!**_

_**I own nothing Twilight. I just play with the characters. **_

"Alice, it's so strange. One minute he's smiling at me, and the next, he clams right back up. I don't know what to do," Bella complained as she walked home from the subway.

After lunch, Bella's interactions with Edward had continued to be received with mixed reactions. During the team's afternoon meeting with Sam, Edward and Bella's were sitting next to one another. Throughout the meeting, their legs kept accidentally brushing up against one another. Each time it occurred she would glance over at him, and he would half smile at me but his eyes never left Sam's face.

When the meeting was over, Sam held Bella back as the rest of the team returned to their cubicles. He had told her to take good care of Edward and that the word around Big Bad was that he was going places. Sam had never spoken that way about anyone. Ever.

"Bells," the voice on the other end of the phone said, "I'll be back in tomorrow and try to see what is up with this kid."

"That's the thing, he's not 22 or 25 for that matter. I think he is closer to my age. How do I manage someone who is my age? Mentor them? Why is he in this undergraduate rotational program when he is this old and has been out of school for awhile."

"Hmm... Maybe he joined the Peace Corp after he graduated or he was in the army or he was in a horrific car accident and woke up from a coma," Alice reasoned.

"I don't know, but I really appreciate your help. It was so awkward between us. I really want your opinion," Bella replied. She tried to recall if Edward had any scars or had given any clues.

"No problem-o. We are stuck in traffic in Long Island. I'm gonna make Jasper stop at Century 21 for some shopping and a break. Maybe after three hours, the traffic will subside. See ya tomorrow, Bella," Alice said as she and Bella exchanged their goodbyes.

* * *

Two weeks into Edward's rotation and Bella still only knew the basics – Edward was from New Canaan, Connecticut, he went to Dartmouth and majored in business, he was in his twenties, though at which end of the spectrum, she wasn't sure, and Big Bad Corporation was his first real job since graduation. Bella was unsure what he had done in that gap of time or how long that gap of time between graduation and work, but whenever she pried, Edward would change the subject.

Alice and Edward had hit it off in a way that Bella couldn't help but feel the slightest tinge of jealousy over. Whenever Alice stopped by Bella's desk, she would follow it up with a visit to Edward's desk and banter on with him. Whenever Bella attempted to join in, Edward would freeze up, make some excuse about getting back to work, and turn away.

Bella didn't know what to do. She hated that he wouldn't open up to her. She knew it was a fine line between manager and friend, but couldn't she be a friendly manager? Alice finally agreed, after much begging on Bella's part, to talk to Edward and let him know that it was okay for him to talk to Bella. She wouldn't judge him.

Fridays before holiday weekends always seemed to drag. Since Labor Day weekend fell at the end of the month, with Labor Day on September 1st, Sam instructed his team that they were to come to the office if they wanted to have a job in September. He generously told them that they could wear shorts or jeans if they preferred. Bella didn't mind having to work the extra hours; besides going out with Alice, she had no other plans for the long weekend. Alice had mentioned having a few people over tonight to drink on the roof her building.

Usually Alice and Jasper would invite their mutual friends and a few others. Alice was famous, or rather infamous, for her numerous but failed attempts at setting her friends up with Jasper's. Alice's biggest fear now was that when she got married, figuring out a seating chart was going to be an impossible task. This party would be the highlight of Bella's weekend and she was even more excited because Rosalie Hale would be there. Bella had met Rosalie Hale while they were both undergrads at UW. They were acquaintances, but when they both ended up settling in New York after college, they had become friends.

Rosalie Hale worked insane hours as an associate at one of the big law firms. Given the insane number of unemployed attorneys that were wandering around New York City, Rosalie worked as much as they needed her to work and never complained. Though, Bella knew that Rosalie's workaholic nature, a natural progression from her Hermoine Granger-type of academic lifestyle, was her true pride in life.

Lately, Alice and Bella had given up asking Rose to join them on their nights out; she was usually working, but there was something else. Rosalie was a thirty year old virgin. She hadn't dated much and never to the point of sleeping with anyone. It wasn't as though Rosalie wasn't good looking; she actually had model-like looks, but she was cautious in her relationships and every action, be it personal or professional, was carefully calculated. The most ironic thing about Rosalie, besides being a drop-dead gorgeous, 30 year-old virgin, was that Rosalie spent much of her time working on contracts for porn stars.

When she did see her friends, she would convey the titles her clients were currently involved with: _Cum-Hard Millionaire, Twathard, and the entire Harry Pooter series including Harry Pooter and the Prisoner of Ass Cabin, Harry Pooter and the Goblet of Desire, _and Bella's personal favorite, the newly released _Harry Pooter and the Deathly Swallow. _Rose often felt awkward meeting with her clients, though none of them knew she was carrying her "V" card. Alice had even begun to joke about loaning Jasper's cock out to her, so that she could lose her virginity and no longer feel like she was carrying it around, like an over-sized handbag in a crowded bar. It would, indeed, be good to see Rosalie again and catch up.

Walking back from the ladies room, Bella wondered if Edward had plans for their now stunted holiday weekend. She decided it wouldn't be overstepping her boundaries if she invited him along. She wasn't sure if he had any friends in the area. Each night he left work and went home – she wasn't even sure where that was.

"Hey, Edward. How are those financial models coming?" Bella peeked her head over the shared cubicle wall.

"Uh, good. I've laid out the assumptions, but I'm still unsure about the money costs," He replied, looking up at her. At the sight of Bella, the corners of his mouth turned upward.

"We can sit down later today and push through them. Sucks that we have to work on a holiday weekend, doesn't it? Did you have any plans?" Bella asked, trying to stray from work topics, at least temporarily.

Bella no longer cringed at her choice of words around Edward. She was still insanely attracted to him and avoided any physical contact with him, but she was trying to keep her perverted inner monologue to a minimum.

"No," he replied looking back to the screen. Bella didn't understand. One minute he would be friendly and the next he was an ogre.

"Well, not sure if Alice told you, but she's having a party Saturday night and you are welcome to come. You can even bring people, if you want. Alice is all about the-more-the-merrier party throwing."

"Are you going?" he asked. The smile had returned. Bella began to wonder if Edward was bi-polar.

"Of course, as one of the few people actually in the city this weekend, besides the tourists, what else is there to do?" Bella shrugged.

"Well, if you are going, I guess it would be a good career move if I went too. You convinced me, boss." Edward smirked and crossed his arms.

What had she done? Bella knew she shouldn't be mixing her work and personal life but she had been curious about the flutter in her stomach and those sparks she felt whenever they touched. She took a deep breath and grounded herself. Back in manager mode.

"How's your deck? Do you have any bandwidth for a small project?" she asked, using the corporate-speak. In any other environment her question would have been phrased as in something to the tune of, "How's your workload? Are you free to work on a small project?" There was no end to Big Bad's bastardization of the English language.

"Still banging out this model, but if you have more work for me, lay it on me," Edward politely replied.

Her inner monologue couldn't be ignored after a double whammy like that. Edward saying banging. Edward banging her against the desk. She would lay it on him. Lay it on him nice and good.

Bella knew these thoughts weren't appropriate and she shouldn't act on them. She couldn't act on them. The corporate policy clearly defined no dating or sexual relations between a manager and their employee. Though technically Edward wasn't _really _her employee. In the org chart he reported to the rotational programs manager. He was only temporarily assigned to work under Bella. Even still, she knew it was not ethical to think with her hormones.

In an overly obvious, gulp, Bella attempted to pull herself together. "When we meet later to go over the model, I'll lay this new project on you. I mean out for you." Bella's face turned a pinkish hue as she quickly left her cube again to seek out Alice for solace.

Alice and Jasper's building had a wonderful view of the city's skyline, especially at this time of day when the sun was starting to set. It cast an orange glow across all the monuments to modern day capitalism. Bella looked down at her glass. All that was left of her third pomegranate mojito were a few ice cubes and some mint. She looked around the rooftop for a friendly face. She and Alice shared many mutual friends, whom she had been set up with but didn't care to talk with. Bella scanned the crowd and realized that Rosalie hadn't shown up yet.

Alice was occupied playing hostess, running around making sure everyone was having a good time. Bella looked toward the door it was opening. Out walked Edward in crisp white pants, a blue button down Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up and tan driving moccasins. He was carrying a bottle of wine. Bella looked down at her own outfit - a short color-block tank dress with a slightly flared skirt and her kitten-heeled sandals. Compared to his Hamptons-esque style, she looked downright edgy.

Like a homing device, he instantly found her and began making his way through the maze of people to greet her.

"Edward!" She exclaimed giving him a hug. The alcohol was definitely showing its effects. The instant their skin came in contact with one another, even with the mojito buzz, she felt it, the spark, and quickly pulled away. "Sorry about that. I, uh, probably should get some food." That was too friendly of a gesture for a manager to bestow on her employee.

"Bella, it's good to see you too. Come on, I want to put the Clicquot down," he said, motioning toward the wine bottle with the yellow label – champagne, and a good one at that.

"Ooh Clicquot. My favorite," she squealed, eying the bottle. There was part of Bella's brain that was yelling at her to pull it together and another part that was telling that part to shut the fuck up.

Bella followed Edward to the table that Alice had set up with various finger foods. She put her empty mojito glass down, grabbed a plate and started putting vegetables, hummus, guacamole and chips on it. Edward joined her, and instead of getting his own plate, he started pointing out various items to add to her plate. Each time he pointed to something, Bella added it.

"I'm not going to be able to eat all of this." She looked at him with her hand on her hip.

"I was planning to help you out a bit. Meet me over there," Edward said, motioning with his head to a small table and chairs set up in a corner. She noticed two glasses filled with champagne in each of his hands and a few beers tucked under his arm. It was odd for him to be giving her orders and even odder how outright friendly he was to her. Not that she minded either; she liked seeing him take charge, it showed leadership aptitude, she noted. As for his friendliness, she attributed it to him not knowing anyone else at the party besides Alice.

When she reached the table, Bella put her plate down and breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't tripped or stumbled on the way over. Even her half-inch heels proved to be difficult at times. Edward was already sitting down, slowly sipping from a bottle of Pete's Wicked Summer Brew. Bella began picking at the food on her plate, thinking of things to say to Edward; she wanted to learn more, figure him out.

"Want to play twenty questions?" she asked, leaning back in her chair.

"I'm game," he replied, leaning forward. He put his beer on the table and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, Edward, Edward Cullen, Edward Cullen from New Canaan, Connecticut, who went to Dartmouth and is very good at valuating distressed companies. Since we're off the clock, this is strictly an outside of work conversation. Agreed?" She took a sip of her champagne.

"Completely off the record, but turnabout is fair play, boss." Edward picked up his beer and took another swig.

"Okay, Mr. Cullen, how old are you?"

He smiled at her. "Twenty-seven. If it's not too rude, how old are you?"

"Twenty-nine. Single, involved, married?"

"Single. Might I add, that you don't look 29, at all. It may be out of line to say, but Bella you barely look," he searched for the write word and then winced at the word that came out of his mouth, "legal. You?"

Bella held up her left hand and looked around. "Definitely single. So, million dollar question, what did you do between college and working at Big Bad?"

"I'm taking a pass for now. Let's come back to that. How much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Counting this champagne?" Bella held up the glass. "Three mojitos and this," she said, shoving the glass in his face.

"I see. Well, I guess I better catch up," he said, chugging his beer.

They went back and forth until the sky was dark. Being New York City, there were no stars visible in the sky but it was a clear night. During that time, Bella learned Edward's favorite color was brown, his favorite television show was _Smallville, _though he also loved _Lost_ and _Supernatural;_ he liked _Inglorious Bastards _and _District 9, _but neither movie compared to last summer's _The Dark Knight. _Edward had traveled extensively with Florence as his favorite city. He didn't elaborate on much.

In turn, Edward learned that Bella was currently favoring emerald green, her guilty pleasure was watching _Gossip Girl, _she liked to cook and bake but rarely had the time to do so and found it difficult to cook for only one. Bella hated to go to the gym but went anyways and the worst part about New York City in the summer was the omnipresent urine smell that permeated almost every block.

"So, Edward, I'm probably going to be heading home soon. Will you tell me now where you were between college and starting the rotational program?"

"Uhhh. Okay. I was...." Edward began to speak when a bouncy, now inebriated hostess interjected into their conversation.

"Hey, guys! You both having a good time? You're both over here by yourselves all hushy hushy. Talking about some top secret deal Big Bad's gonna do? Oh, wait, you guys were actually talking like real humans." Alice sat down on Bella's lap. Although she was small, Bella leaned back to brace herself for the extra weight.

"Alice, thanks for having me. It's a lovely party. You and Jasper have an amazing view," Edward replied politely.

"Thanks, Edward."

"Alice, did you ever hear from Rosalie?" Bella asked. Their mutual friend had failed to show up.

"She texted a few hours ago. Work, of course. What else would it be? If only she met someone, then maybe she would have motivation to tell those partners to piss off," Alice said in a very animated fashion. Bella kept having to dodge Alice's hands as she spoke.

"I've got it!" Alice cried as she jumped up off of Bella's lap. "We can set her up with Edward."

"Edward? Really?" Bella asked, looking down at the table. She was unsure of how she felt with her friend dating her rotationer. It wasn't that it had the potential to be awkward. No, it was something else. Bella was feeling possessive.

"I don't know, Alice," Edward mumbled. He, too, was looking down at the table.

"Oh, my goodness, idea! Hello! Edward, you have to have some single friends. You, Bella, Rose and your friend could all go out as a group. Then it's totally casual and no pressure!" Alice squealed.

Why did people in relationships always trying to match single people up? Bella suspected it helped the couple validate their own relationship. Edward looked as nervous as she did.

"Sounds great, Alice. I'm definitely game. I've been in touch with my best friend from high school. He's working in finance here in the city. I'm sure he'd be game," Edward said, shrugging his shoulders.

Bella choked on the champagne she had sipped down. She held up her hand with the universal _okay _sign. Once she got had stopped coughing, Bella shrugged. "Sure, that'd be great. Maybe we can go out next week or something. A double date sounds great."

If only she believed the words coming out her own mouth. Bella hated being set up and a double date? That was double the pain. Rosalie was brutal when it came to guys. Since Jake, Bella had barely dated, not that she had a lot of time for dates, but still, she wasn't exactly putting herself out there.

"I'll let you two work out the details. I love it though. I think this is my best idea yet. Okay, I better get back to the rest of my guests," Alice cried excitedly. She danced off to another group of guests huddled close by.

Bella bit her lip and then looked up at Edward. He was running his fingers though his thick, bronze hair. _Oh, to be one of those fingers. _Taking a deep breath, Bella felt she should address this situation. She couldn't believe her best friend had created this situation. "Edward, we don't have to do this if you don't want to. We work together and this has the potential to get awkward. You know double dates. I manage you..."

"Bella," Edward grasped her hands with his, "I'd never want to do anything that you are uncomfortable with, but it could be fun. Maybe we could go Monday night? It would make up for us having to work on a holiday."

Bella shrugged. "I guess you're right. Let me talk to Rosalie and see if she's even free and you can talk to your friend. We can hash out all the details on Monday." Bella looked down at her watch; it was getting late. "I should really get going." She stood up, but as she did, the effects of the wine caused her to be dizzy and she held on to the table to steady herself.

"How were you planning to get home?" Edward asked.

"Walk. It's too nice not to walk." Bella knew she should be taking a cab - walking in heels while drunk was the perfect recipe for a broken ankle.

"Where do you live?" he asked, standing up and quickly glancing at the clock on his cell phone.

"Upper East Side. In the 80's. It's not far. Really, I'm fine to walk." Bella knew she wasn't fine to walk and secretly hoped Edward would walk with her.

"I'm headed in that direction. I'll walk you," Edward replied.

After Bella retrieved her purse and she and Edward thanked Jasper and Alice for the evening, the two started walking. While they walked, Bella asked Edward where he lived, but he was non-committal with his answer. He told her the Upper Upper East Side. Bella was confused but didn't dig deeper. They spoke about work and the office. She was surprised how Edward's impressions of everyone were very similar to her own. They were stopped at a corner waiting for the walk sign when she finally got the guts to ask how she was as a manager; his response sent her mind back to the gutter.

He turned, faced her, licked his lips and when he opened his mouth the words, "Bella, I love working under you. You're an excellent manager, teacher, and," he looked down at his feet, "friend."

"Thanks," Bella responded. She couldn't help but think that those were not the words he wanted to say. She wasn't sure why; maybe Edward felt the same chemistry she felt with him. Maybe he was attracted to her, or maybe he was only being polite. Regardless, tonight had helped to bridge understanding between the two of them and her curiosity had grown into a full-blown crush.

The rest of the walk to Bella's building was in silence. It wasn't awkward but rather peaceful as they both people-watched and window-shopped. At her door, Edward bid Bella a goodnight. As she watched him walk down toward the 1st Avenue, Bella began to look forward to meeting Edward's friend and hoped he was exactly like Edward.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Follow me on twitter to hear about my adventures with my rotationer (no I am not smexing him (yuck) stupidreader**


	5. Chapter 5: Arlene's Grocery

**AN: Thanks to Isabel Grace, Littlesecret84 and my Beta Poo235 for their help. Thank you for reading. Stephenie Meyers owns the characters I just play with them. **

Staring into the crowd, Bella froze for a moment until her eyes met up with his. The brief moment was enough to propel her confidence to give in as she began to tap her fingers against her leg in tune with the beat of the drum from the house band. _How did I get here? This night is not going at all like I expected it to. _

* * *

_Earlier that weekend…_

On Sunday, Bella had spoken to Rosalie who reluctantly agreed to a double date with Edward and his friend the next night. When asked what Edward was like, Bella had explained that he was a nice guy, good looking, but a bit of an enigma. Since everyone would have to work the next day, Rosalie had rationed that the date, even if it was painful, could at least be cut short.

After receiving Rosalie's consent, Bella emailed Edward to alert him that she was holding up her side of the bargain, but she wanted more information on his friend. She was surprised to find a quick response from Edward. In his email he explained that his friend, who lived in Murray Hill ,would be joining them. He worked in private equity, loved sports, and could quote South Park. Edward instructed her that she and Rose should be ready for a night out downtown on the Lower East Side.

Excited for a night out with Rose, save for the other company, Bella was a little unsure of this guy Edward wanted to set her up with. Solely based on his neighborhood, she deduced that he was just another one of New York City's over-grown frat boys who now called the small area in the east 30's, known as Murray Hill, home. It really wasn't the type of guy she normally went for, but given her dry spell, it was worth a shot.

The next day, being Labor Day, Bella dressed in black Bermuda shorts, a silk halter top, and black patent peep-toe kitten heels. She looked dressy-casual if that was even possible. She threw in a pair of skinny jeans and her make-up bag along with her laptop before she headed down her normal route to work. Unlike any other Monday, today the city was empty as most commuters had the day off. Even the lobby of Big Bad Corporation was almost empty, except for a lone security guard.

Bella arrived at her desk at promptly nine o'clock and looked around. Sam was already in his office his, face planted in front of his computer screen. Tyler, Lauren and Mike had yet to arrive. She glanced over at Edward's cube; it was empty. Trying not to be angry because she knew these extra efforts were what set her apart, Bella promptly turned on her laptop and began digging into the final details of the deal that had to close before the end of the month. She became so engrossed in her work that she didn't notice when a certain bronze-haired underling strolled in. Well, she didn't notice until she heard him clear his throat in the cubicle next to hers.

Looking up, Bella saw the now familiar mop of messy hair. She really needed to speak to Edward about trying to do something with his hair. As his manager, she thought it should be more professional but as a woman she loved his strewn about locks. _Ahh, to run her fingers through those thick locks. Lick his neck. Suck his earlobes. _

As she stood up, Bella tried to shake her improper thoughts and peeked over their shared wall to greet her rotationer. She noticed that Tyler and Lauren had also arrived and had begun to work. No one else was in. Mike probably had some family commitment and had wormed his way out of coming in today.

"Morning, Edward. How's it going?" Bella asked as she stood on her tip toes peering over the cubicle wall. Edward was wearing jeans and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He hadn't bothered to button the top couple of buttons and she could see a few strands of curly, bronze chest hair. _Oh, to run my fingers over his chest._

"Morning to you too. It goes," he shrugged, looking up from his computer. "We should be all set for tonight. Emmett is going to meet us here. I brought clothes to change into. Is Rosalie going to meet us here as well?"

Emmett. So over-grown frat boy's name was Emmett. "Sure. So what did you plan for us anyways?" Bella asked, her curiosity piqued.

Before he had a chance to answer, Sam walked by and decided to interrupt. He instructed his "Dynamic Duo," as he had begun to refer to Bella and Edward, that he wanted to get the whole team together in the conference room to review the numbers and to pound out the final valuations so that everyone could go home at a decent hour, five o'clock or so.

The rest of the day, while other people were out enjoying the warm weather, barbeques, and beaches, getting buried in sand, Bella and Edward along with Sam, Tyler and Lauren were buried in Excel spreadsheets and calculations. Edward sat next to Bella all day and she had to work very hard to keep her focus. The heat that seemed to develop whenever they were near each other was more than just a little distracting.

The team seemed to be at an impasse when Bella realized an assumption that they had overlooked. After pointing it out, the team was able to reconcile the numbers and come to an agreement on the next steps for moving forward with this deal. By four o'clock, Lauren, Tyler and Sam were all packing up and heading home. Sam told the team to take their time coming in on Tuesday; they had earned a morning of sleeping in.

After they left, Bella walked over to Edward's cube. He was typing an email at his computer, and she sat on the edge of his desk, feet crossed in front of her. Bella observed his broad shoulders as he leaned down to type.

She soon found herself lost in her own head. _Edward would swing around on his desk chair. Straddling his lap, I would ease myself down, his warm breath on my breasts, as I slowly lower myself down onto him. Taking his bottom lip in mine, I would grab on to his hair and pull myself closer. Edward's hands would cup my ass..._

"Bella, topless?" Bella, who was licking her lips at the thought of her naughty daydream, looked up at Edward. He turned around and faced her; he was leaning back in his chair with his long legs crossed in front of him.

"What?" she asked, confused that he just asked her to get topless. She was still considering the question and thinking of complying with his request.

"Tapas? Do you like tapas?" he asked again. He smirked at her as if he could read her thoughts.

"Oh, yes, I love tapas. Is that what we are doing tonight? I guess we have some time to kill before we meet up with our friends? Do you want to maybe go for a walk or something since it's such a nice day out?" Bella was surprised. Most guys she knew hated tapas.

"I figured we would grab some tapas, some wine and then head down to Arlene's Grocery for some Rock n' Roll Karaoke," Edward explained.

Bella's eyes grew wider. "It's going to have to be a heck of a lot of wine if you think I'm gonna get up there and sing in front of all those people."

"I'll see what I can do," Edward said with a smile. Since their Saturday night bonding session, Edward seemed to be a little bit more open with her.

"So want to take a walk?" Bella asked again. As she waited for his answer, she looked down at her shoes, thinking of switching to her spare flip-flops she kept in her bag.

"I have a few things to do for the rotational program that I should work on before we go out," Edward replied, turning around back to his computer. Suddenly, just when she thought, he was opening up, he was pulling back.

"Fine. I'll be back," Bella replied, dashing out of Edward's cube. She quickly switched into flip- flops and spent the next hour and a half walking down Fifth Avenue. She didn't feel like doing much of anything. She was surrounded by foreign tourists who were walking slowly and in large groups. As she made her way through the crowds, she thought about her crush on Edward and the pull she he had on her. Rationalizing that it was the unknown about Edward's past and his hot and cold behavior toward her that drew her in, she slowly made her way back to the office.

After changing into jeans in the ladies room, Bella returned to Edward's cube and asked if he was ready to go. He too had changed and replaced the button down shirt with a simple black t-shirt. The soft modal cotton hugged his pecs Looking at him, Bella wanted to say something, but the words were trapped in her throat.

"You look great, Bella. If it's okay with you, can tonight be completely off the record, an out of work type of night? I don't want you to be uncomfortable," Edward asked, looking Bella over from head down to her painted toenails peeping through her shoes.

Bella, still unable to speak, nodded her head. Finally, she choked out, "We should head downstairs. Rosalie said she would meet us out front."

That first half an hour where the group became acquainted with one another was a little awkward. It began with Bella introducing Rosalie to Edward. They exchanged pleasantries, but every time Bella tried to pull back from the conversation, it lulled, Emmett joined them shortly thereafter. Built like a linebacker with dark curly hair, dimples and a booming laugh. His appearance helped to balance the group.

Edward flagged down a cab and the foursome squeezed into the backseat; no one wanted to take the lone seat up front next to the driver. In the confusion of who was sitting where, Rose slid in first followed by Emmett, then Bella and Edward. When Edward sat down, Bella somehow managed to be the one sitting on Edward's lap. She immediately felt the pull to him, especially being this close. This was definitely not proper behavior for a manager. How could she exert her authority while on his lap? The heat from his crotch radiated through his jeans and made her just as hot. She wondered if he could feel it too. _Oh, yeah, I know how I can show him who's boss like this! _

The cab hit a bump and Edward instinctively pulled Bella closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her body to keep her from flying. Bella didn't dare turn around to see his face. Instead, she propelled her weight off her feet and ground her ass farther back into Edward's lap. During this entire display, Rosalie and Emmett were discussing the outcomes of the automaker bailouts and what that meant for the future of cars. Rose, a closeted gear head and Emmett, a lover of all things fast, both liked to discuss cars. Bella, who couldn't remember the last time she had driven, felt completely shut out of the conversation, while Edward, quipped in with a few points.

The conversation throughout dinner was much of the same with Bella and Emmett having little in common and he and Rose carrying on animated discussions in which they often agreed to disagree. Edward, aware that he too was being left out of the conversation, kept trying to keep Bella engaged by asking her about her past. Two wine bottles in, Bella and Rosalie excused themselves to go to the ladies room.

Once inside the small single bathroom, Rose let out a deep sigh. "Bella, this is so much fun. I get so wrapped up in my work. I often forget how much fun going out can really be. Edward is nice but talking to him is like talking to my second cousin or something. Emmett, though, I've never felt this way before. I want to hit him and kiss him at the same time. He's so carefree and relaxed, nothing like me, but I can't stop thinking about him. Ugh, I know he's your date..."

"Rose! It's okay. You are so cute. I've never seen you like this. I feel the same way about Emmett. He's a nice guy in that big brother sort of way," Bella responded, rubbing Rosalie's arm.

Rose turned and looked at her friend. "Bella, what's going on with you and Edward? Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"What?" Bella shook her head.

"Oh, come on. I've seen the way you both look at one another. It's so obvious you like each other," Rosalie said as she took out her lipstick and began reapplying it.

"Let's suppose I did feel something. I manage him. It isn't right. You're the attorney. I could get canned if Big Bad found out. Right?" Bella bit her lip.

"Well plain and simple - don't let them find out. If you keep all the activities out of the office and do not let it interfere with either of your work, then take the plunge. Would I personally do it? No, but should you? If you think it's worth it," Rosalie answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"It's just a crush, Rose. I'm sure he's just being nice to me," Bella said as she opened the door.

The rest of dinner continued as the first half had been except that it was now clear that Rosalie and Emmett were on a date and Bella and Edward were along for the ride. After a few more small plates and another bottle of wine, Edward signaled the waitress for the check.

This was always the most dreaded part of dating for Bella. She had no issue paying her own way on dates; she thought the whole dance was always so silly. _Would he pay? Would he not pay? _When the check came, everyone took out their wallets to settle the bill. Emmett and Edward both ordered the ladies to put their money away, and instead they insisted on splitting the bill between them. Both Bella and Rosalie protested; Bella almost told Edward she made more money than him, but held her tongue. Instead she offered to cover the first round of drinks or the cover fee at karaoke and Rosalie agreed to buy the second round. Had any one of them been sober enough, they would have realized it was too much alcohol, but the wine had sufficiently lowered all of their inhibitions.

From the restaurant the group walked in pairs – Emmett and Rosalie in front with Edward and Bella behind them - the few short blocks to Arlene's Grocery. The couple in front held hands, while Bella held her purse and Edward jammed his hands in his pockets. Not holding hands seemed unnatural, and although they were much more comfortable with one another, their working relationship still required there to be boundaries, boundaries which were slowly becoming blurred as the alcohol ran through their blood streams.

The historic club was already fairly packed when the group entered. Rosalie and Emmett grabbed the group a spot by the stage while Edward helped Bella carry back the first round of drink: tequila shots. While up at the bar, Edward spotted the sign-up sheet. So far only one person had signed up for karaoke.

"Hey, Bella, want to have some fun?" He pointed down to the sign-up list.

Bella glanced back at Rosalie and Emmett, who were sucking each other's faces. Bella couldn't believe how her sensible, studious Rosalie was behaving. Though, she had never seen Rosalie ever interested in a guy and never like this. At this rate, Rosalie's virginity would be non-existent before the official start of autumn. "Oh yeah!"

She watched Edward select a song and write Emmett's name next to it. She then grabbed the pen and selected a song and filled in Rosalie's name.

The pair giggled about their prank and went back to their friends, drinks in hand. The MC called up the first singer, Mike Dexter who was singing "Paradise City." By the second verse, Rosalie and Emmett were the ones replacing everyone's drink. Mike was finishing up his off-tune rendition by the time the pair returned with the second round. The MC then called up Emmett McCarty to the stage.

Emmett stood there stunned, and then before making his way to the stage, he whispered in Edward's ear, "Paybacks, man, are hell."

Emmett sang a pitchy version of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie." After he finished up, he made his way back to the group where Rosalie kissed him on the cheek. Bella couldn't recall the last time her friend was so forward with a man. It was short lived as Rosalie was called up next. Rosalie, now very drunk sang Blondie's "One Way or Another." Before her song was even complete, Emmett had already climbed on stage and started dancing with her. Afterward, they returned to Bella and Edward.

"You got us good," Rosalie whispered in Bella's ear, "laugh's on you though!"

Bella looked up to hear the MC announce the next song was a special dedication; Edward Cullen was singing to the future mother of his children. As he walked to the stage, Edward shot a fatal look at Emmett. When he reached the stage, still angry, Bella smiled at him and waved. She looked around to see if Edward knew anyone else at Arlene's Grocery that night. _Nope. Just Rosalie and me. Does he like me like that? Why would Emmett joke around about that unless there was some truth? _The band started to play and Bella was shaken out of her internal thoughts. It only took a few notes for her and Edward to realize what he had been signed up to sing - the Divinyl's "I Touch Myself." Edward mood instantly changed and he got really into the song and kept thrusting his crotch during the chorus. Bella couldn't help but laugh and be turned on at the same time. He was actually pretty good, even though he was singing in a key much too high for him.

When he finished his song, the band announced they were taking a break. Edward made his way back to the group.

"So, Bella, what did you think?" Edward licked his lips.

"Hot. That was hot, but I have two things to say about that." Bella reached out and brushed his arm.

"Yes, Simon?" Edward replied, smiling.

"First, don't quit your day job and second, I mean, if you did, what kind of manager would I be? Second, is there any truth in the song?" Bella asked but quickly turned away and walked over to the bar before Edward had the chance to answer. Alcohol, the original truth serum, seemed to be bringing it all to the surface tonight.

Edward stood there and watched her walk away. He watched as she ordered a shot at the bar and then she did another. She glanced back at Edward and then stared down into her glass. She was definitely drunk. Despite her lack of clarity, it was no surprise when the MC's voice beckoned the audiences' attention back to the stage.

"Next up is Bella Swan. Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Really people? Bella Swan? Why not Amanda Hugnkiss or Ima Balzak?" the MC joked from the stage.

"No, man, Bella's right here," Emmett called out, pulling Bella off the bar stool. She hated him at that moment.

When Bella reached the stage, already a light shade of red, she couldn't believe she was up there. The band started a beat and Bella couldn't place the song. Staring into the crowd, Bella froze for a moment until her eyes met up with his. The brief moment was enough to propel her confidence to give in as she began to tap her fingers against her leg in tune with the beat of the drum from the house band. _How did I get here? This night is not going at all like I expected it to. _

She mumbled through the first few lines but when the band started into the chorus, the words to the song came to her, "I hate myself for loving you. Can't break free from all those things that you do. I want to run I wanna walk but I run back to you - that's why I hate myself for loving you. I wanna walk but I run back to you - that's why I hate myself for loving you..."

The lyrics were liberating; being able to express how she felt in song. Her eyes searched the crowd until they came upon the pair of emerald ones she had become familiar with. He was smiling, full-on smile not a smirk. No, definitely not a smirk. By the time she finished the song and eye fucking Edward, Bella could feel the room spin. Her numbed feet carried her back to her friends.

Rosalie announced she was drunk and exhausted, and Emmett readily volunteered to escort her home. As they left, Bella turned to Edward.

"I gotta go home too. We have work tomorrow. Summer is over. Summer never began," she slurred.

"Summer lovin' had me a blast," Edward started to croon. Bella pushed his chest playfully. Instead of falling back, Edward reached out and pulled her into a big bear hug. "Yeah, boss lady, I should get you home too and then figure out where I am going to go."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, pulling away.

"Come on, I'll tell you in the cab," Edward said, grabbing Bella's hand and dragging her out of the club.

As they traveled up to Bella's apartment, Bella egged Edward further about what he meant by needing a place to stay.

"I don't live in the city, yet," he admitted. "I'm living with my parents for now, in Connecticut. My lease starts on the 15th, so being that it is closing in on three o'clock in the morning, I have missed my train." Edward hid his face with his hands.

"You can crash on my couch," Bella blurted out. Edward didn't respond. He looked over at Bella who had fallen asleep leaning against the door of cab.

When the cab pulled up to Bella's building, Edward paid the driver and gently shook Bella awake. Groggily, she got out of the cab and Edward helped her up the steps. He fished through her bag before finding the keys and then asked her whic apartment was hers. Bella was half asleep during the short elevator ride up to her floor. Edward took her and carried her in his arms to her door.

She groggily watched as he struggled to open the door while she remained in his arms. Once he finally found the correct key and then the light switch, he carried her to the bedroom and placed his sleeping manager on her bed. He returned to the living room and looked at the couch. It wasn't a couch; it was a loveseat. There was no way he could fit his 6'3 frame onto that tiny couch. Edward sat down on the loveseat and looked around. Bella's apartment was decorated with furniture that had clean lines and was very simplistic.

Edward looked around when he heard a thump from the bedroom. He quickly went to investigate. Bella was lying on the floor. He picked her up and put her back on the bed, sitting down on the side of her.

Bella looked up, still half asleep, looking up at the man who was taking such tender care of her. In her tired state, Bella thought she was seeing a valiant Prince Charming rescuing her; she had never felt the need or the desire to be rescued like in a fairytale. Now, in her drunken, dreamlike state, Bella could no longer differentiate between Edward and Prince Charming. In her haze, she knew whether he was real or part of her dream, she didn't want it to end.

"Stay," she mumbled, holding his thigh. "Please."

**AN: Rock n Roll Karaoke is real as is Arlene's Grocery. Want a teaser for the next chapter? If you review, I will include one in my response! Yes, I am bribing for reviews - sorry, I wasn't hugged enough as a child.**


	6. Chapter 6: Elephant in the Room

**AN: Thanks for everyone who is reading this story. Huge thanks to Jes817, Littlesecret84, my beta, Poo235 and everyone in the twi-twittervese for helping my sanity. You know who owns the characters. I own this story and I have access to attorneys.**

**I'm participating in _Twifans for Haiti_, organized by the wonderful MsKathy. For donations of $5 or more, you'll receive a document containing one-shots from a bunch of authors in the fandom. If you'd like to read the one-shots we're contributing, visit MsKathy's blog for directions on how to donate:**

**mskathyff(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

***

_Fuck. _There were no other words to describe the way Bella woke up on Tuesday. The night was a little blurry – she remembered dinner and the club, but then it got fuzzy. Did she sing? In public? Suddenly, Bella heard a groan coming from right next to her. She opened her eyes and saw her rotationer – sleeping right next to her.

Slowly sitting up, as to not wake him from his slumber, she noticed he was sleeping above the covers. _Thank god!_

He had taken off his shirt. Bella tried hard not to ogle his body, but it was clear that Edward worked out. Her eyes drifted downward to the clearly defined "V" and what it led to. Edward had the button of his jeans undone; she could see the waistband of his underwear peering out. She licked her lips and let her eyes stray further. He was sporting a definite bulge in his pants. It had been months since a man with a bulge had been in her bed.

Bella felt her panties growing wet with each glance at the man she was supposed to be managing. Suddenly, it dawned on her that she didn't remember how she got home last night, let alone into bed. She lifted up the blanket and realized she was only in her bra and her panties. _Shit. Shit. Shit. _Glancing at the floor next to the bed, Bella found her jeans and her top along with the shirt Edward wore last night. She lifted it up and smelled it. It smelled like him and she considered putting it on.

Ever so quietly, Bella climbed out of bed and went to the dresser and threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. It was only then that she glanced at the clock. It was noon. _Shit, it's noon. _They were supposed to be at work!

"Edward! Get up!" she screamed frantically; he didn't stir. She walked back over to the bed and shook him. "Edward, get up. We have to be at work."

"Oh, mom, why are you waking me?" he mumbled.

"Edward Cullen, get out of my bed this instant," Bella stated with force; she was trying to be stern, but it came out angry, too angry.

Edward jumped to his feet and turned around to face Bella. "Oh, god, what time is it?"

Bella crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I think the better question is what the fuck happened last night? Did you take advantage of me? If you took advantage of me…" _Then that is not fair because I want to at least remember it too. _She shook her head slightly and continued. "Then your ass is so fired. On record, off the record it doesn't matter."

Edward crossed the room and walked over to Bella. He picked up his t-shirt off the floor and put it on before speaking again. "Listen, nothing happened. You were really drunk, I missed my train and you invited me to crash on your couch. It was a little small, but then you fell out of bed and asked me to stay." He shrugged. "I was only doing what I was told."

Bella felt like such a bitch for screaming at him before. She had to be calm and rational. "Okay, since you don't have work appropriate clothes, find some. I don't care where you go – just show up to work in the next hour not wearing what you wore yesterday,"she barked.

Edward looked down at his feet and shrugged. Bella began to regret yelling at him. "Listen, let me give you some money, or you could take the day off. Really? It's okay. I'm sorry for yelling." Bella turned and went for her purse, fishing out some money, her back to Edward.

He walked over and grabbed her arm. Bella's heart exploded from his touch, but she pushed him away. "Edward, we can't…" She turned around. "You should get going. I'll see you in the office." She held out a wad of twenty dollar bills, but Edward walked away without taking it. When she heard the door close Bella through herself onto her bed. _Don't cry. Don't cry. _She could smell Edward on the pillow. _Stop it you big baby. You want the neighbors to hear you cry? _She looked around. She was alone. What had she done? The floodgates opened, and she began to cry. Its started as single tear drops, but grew as she attempted her normal morning routine. By the time she stepped into the steaming shower, she had started to cry, scream, and shout obscenities so that her neighbors wouldn't hear her. When the steam had cleared, she stopped; her eyes were red and her throat was raw but she felt slightly better.

With her sunglasses plastered onto her face, Bella swiftly walked to her cubicle. She was wearing a classic oxford shirt, grey slacks, and a black belt with matching shoes. Sliding into her desk, she turned her laptop on. As it was booting up, Bella went to seek out Alice. On her way to Alice's cubicle, she did get a glimpse at Edward's bronze hair seated at his desk. She was afraid to see what he was wearing. More than that, she was afraid to face him after the way she had behaved this morning.

Alice was working on a process flow diagram when Bella came up to her desk and knocked on the cubicle wall. Spinning around in her chair, Alice looked Bella up and down.

"What happened to you?" she shouted. From somewhere somebody shushed them. "Come on, tell me all about it in the kitchenette. You need coffee," Alice declared.

Alice pulled her cup from the Ily machine and took a sip. Bella was sipping English breakfast tea. "So, spill. What happened?"

"We had a good time. Emmett, Edward's friend, was nice." Bella shrugged.

"Nice? Just nice? You didn't sleep alone last night. I can sense it," Alice accused.

"He was nice. Rose liked him a lot." Bella hoped that throwing it out there that Emmett and Rosalie had hit it off would distract Alice.

"So, you guys did the old date switcharoo?"

"I guess." Bella shrugged. Her mind flashed to Edward's "V."

"You didn't sleep alone. You were wasted. Look at you. You look like shit." Bella winced at Alice's comments. She had hoped she had rinsed off the night before.

Before she had a chance to answer, Edward walked into the kitchenette.

"Hey, Alice. How was the rest of your weekend?"

"Not bad. I hear you had an interesting night." Alice glanced at Edward and then at Bella. She was missing something. Something had happened, but she wasn't sure what.

"It turned out better than I expected," Edward replied, glancing at Bella again. Bella was staring at the floor. He didn't hate her.

Alice glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Oh, look at the time, I've got to run. Bella, we'll chat later." Alice scampered off.

Bella looked up at Edward. He was wearing an ice blue button down shirt and pin striped pants. "You look nice. Where'd you go?" The pants were flat front and Bella couldn't help the glance at his crotch. _I'm such a perv; I want to sit on his cock so badly._ Stop. I had to stop.

"The Banana Republic right by 86th Street subway. It took no time at all. Ummm…" He looked down at his feet. "Nothing happened last night…"

"Shhh! Not here, Edward. We'll talk about this but not here, not now. We will though. I should get back to my desk. I am behind in email." Bella started to walk away.

Edward grabbed her arm again. "Were you crying? Are you sure you are okay?" Bella wanted to fall into his chest and have him comfort her, but she couldn't.

For the second time that day, she pushed his hand away. "Don't you have models to go over? I want to see the new model on the Hatchett deal before COB," she barked before swiftly walking away. She needed to think. She couldn't have his beautiful green eyes looking at her while she was trying to think.

The day passed slowly as Bella stared at her screen, reading and responding to emails. Her goal was to ignore Edward; she knew she couldn't forever, but at least for today. Sam came strolling over.

"Bella, great job yesterday. You and Cullen make a great team. I was alerted you have training past due. I don't want to get dinged for it; make sure you finish it before the end of the day," Sam warned as he proceeded to his office.

Bella slammed her palm into her forehead. Of all the training she had to do throughout the year, it was ironic that she was passed due on her annual sexual harassment training. The online course consisted of reading through scenarios and then taking a quiz at the end of each module. On the surface, it appeared to be easy. How hard could it be? Don't fuck the people you work with. Don't talk about sex at work. Don't make people feel uncomfortable. Keep conversations topics to the weather and sports. Okay, it wasn't that easy.

Bella spent the next two hours deciphering the complex code that was Big Bad's sexual harassment policy. If someone was dressed inappropriately what could she or could she not say? Apparently as a manager, she could say nothing.

She smiled as she thought about Edward's chest this morning. She licked her lips; yes, Edward's chest with the rest of him in swim trunks, carrying a margarita to her in a poolside bar. Oh yes, a vacation, a pool, Edward. Bella shook her head. What did all three things have in common? Yes, they were three things that would never happen. What was she doing? Here, she was mentally harassing Edward as she was taking the sexual harassment training. This was wrong, so very, very wrong.

Locking her computer, Bella stood up and glanced over at Edward's cube. He glanced up at her and smiled. The previous night came back to her. Edward was singing. She was singing. That same smile. Both times he'd had that same smile on his face. As she walked to the ladies room, Bella concentrated on trying to remember all the details from last night. _Edward had a beautiful voice, this she knew. Had he really sung "I Touch Myself"? Holy shit. He had sung "I Touch Myself" to me. No, yes, no, yes. Well, Emmett and Rosalie signed him up to sing it, but he really got into it._

Sitting down on the toilet, after putting paper down, Bella put her head in her hands. There were five months left in Edward's rotation. Only five months, she rationed. Surely, she could get through five months. Deep down, Bella knew she couldn't. Her thoughts of last night kept bringing her back to the way she felt. She hated herself.

"Fuck!" she shouted. She realized she too had sung to him. Exactly how she felt. She hated that she liked him. She hated she couldn't act on it, that shouldn't act on it.

"_Bella, you are his manager. Don't get caught."_ Rose's warning from the restaurant bathroom echoed in her head. It was so wrong. It was against all the rules. It was against everything being taught in that online training she was working on right now, but how could every bone and muscle, amongst other regions of her body, be wrong?

Flushing the toilet and opening the stall door, Bella stood, looking at herself in the mirror. She turned on the faucet and scrubbed her hands and then splashed some water on her face. As she was wiping it off with water, Lauren walked in.

"Swan, you look like shit. What's his name?" Lauren asked, crossing her arms. She shifted the weight in her three inch pumps from one leg to the next.

"Uh, no guy. I was out late with my friend Rosalie. Cut loose after working all day. What about you? What did you do last night?" Bella said, not looking Lauren in the eye. She didn't really care what Lauren had to say; she wanted to change the subject.

"It was Monday night. I was at Butter, of course, then Marquee. It was kind of dead. Everyone was still recovering from the Hamptons, you know?" Bella didn't, nor did she care to.

"Great, Lauren. Sounds like a blast. I should go." Bella shuffled out the door.

"Joan Jett!" squeaked a voice as Bella walked out of the bathroom. She turned around to find Alice looking at her.

"You talked to Rosalie?"Bella whispered.

"I sure did. She's in love with Edward's friend and she said she wasn't the only one to fall for someone last night. I knew it. I fucking knew it!" Alice pointed at Bella.

"Alice, let's pretend it is true that… "Bella looked around – the hallway was empty – but Lauren was still in the ladies room nearby. "Edgar and Betsy both liked one another. In fact, let's say Edgar crashed at Betsy's apartment and ended up in her bed."

"Shut up!" Alice pushed Bella lightly. "He did not!"

"Nothing happened, but maybe Betsy wants something to happen, badly. If something happens it is wrong. Betsy knows it's wrong. It's wrong, isn't it, Alice? What am I- er, I mean Betsy going to do?"

"Fuck if I know, Bella."

"With that deal put to bed yesterday, you know what I'm doing today? Sexual harassment training. Alice…" Bella whined.

"Bella…. Okay, you, I mean, Betsy, is in quite the quagmire. If you, or she I men , goes with her feelings she could have issues with her career. If she doesn't act on them, she is going to drive her friends and everyone around her miserable wondering if she should have acted on them. Cause Betsy has a way of over-analyzing everything in her life and thinking with her head and not her heart and then spending the proceeding months, sometimes years, wondering if she made the right decision. Besides that, Betsy shouldn't accost her best friend in the hallway and ask her these questions when she should have asked her to go to lunch with her and talk this out," Alice spat out.

"Thanks, Alice. Tomorrow or even tonight. Shopping? You can make the Chanel people at Bendels give me a new look," Bella coaxed. It was like waving something shiny in front of her best friend.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, you can hear all about Betsy and Edgar's night out. I need to go back to sexual harassment training."

Bella finished her training after failing several of the quizzes multiple times. She even went to Henri Bendel with Alice after work. She did everything she said she would do for the remainder of the week, except talk to Edward about what happened. No, the night he spent beside her in bed turned into the elephant in the room that Bella refused to address.

***

**AN: I'm going to go hide now. Let me know what you think. I'll even give you a teaser of chapter 7, if you review. If you hate me and are sick of the UST, tell me that too. If you want you can even play guess the big bad corporation that I work for and use as the basis for this story.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Ball is in Your Court

_**AN: Thank you to Poo235, vasweetpea, and Diana Wolfspack for beta-ing and LittleSecret84 for pre-reading. I do not own but Big Bad Corporation owns me.**_

Chapter 7: The Ball's in Your Court

Bella's eyes opened and she instinctually looked at her alarm clock. "Shit!" The green digital numerals were flashing twelve o'clock. Bella reached for BlackBerry. After unlocking it, she saw what she had suspected; she was running late.

Somehow the past few weeks had sped by. Bella had successfully avoided Edward at the office as best as she could. At least she had avoided talking to him about their evening out. Looking out her window, the leaves were changing and Bella could feel the cold air seeping through the cracks. It wouldn't be long until her building's super would be turning on the radiators.

After her shower, Bella was drying her hair when she saw it – a stray gray hair. It blended in with her reddish highlights but when she turned her head to the side she definitely saw it. Reaching for her tweezers, she combed through until she isolated out the single offending strand, plucking it out of her sight.

She then went to her closet and found her favorite pair of tweed pants. They had hibernated all summer. Bella pulled them up; they were a little tight around the thighs. She went to zip and button them, but they were tight, really tight. _Damn, too many mojitos this summer, I guess. _Bella peeled off the pants and hung them back up, picking a pair of black trousers instead with stretch in them. _Guess I'll hit the gym today too._

Of course, the train took forever and was delayed in the tunnel. Not only was it delayed but of course she was in the train car with a mariachi trio, strumming guitars. It differed greatly from her normal commute where there was no Wall Street Adonis, though between her grey hair and extra weight, Bella didn't exactly feel confident running into him. She slid into her seat at her desk only twenty minutes late but already exhausted. She didn't want to look over at Edward, who had looked up as Bella had entered her cubicle. _Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Don't make eye contact. _She knew she was being a wimp, childish even, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him.

"Coffee?" Alice asked as she came bopping by. Bella nodded.

Once inside the confines of the kitchenette, Bella leaned against the counter. "Alice, be honest with me, can you tell that I have gained weight?"

Alice shifted her eyes to her shoes, Tory Burch flats. "No, not at all. You look great."

"You are such an awful liar. My pants were too tight this morning. These have spandex in them." She pointed down to her black trousers. "I'm going to the gym today after work, I swear."

"You do have something on your chin. It's like a spec." Alice leaned in closer, squinting her eyes.

Bella tried to wipe it off with her hand. "Did I get it?"

"No." Alice leaned in closer. "It's a hair. Let me get it." Alice's fingers descended on Bella's face and quickly grasped on to the tiny hair that had grown on her chin. "I got it. You know you can do laser or waxing to get rid of that stuff. So, have you talked to Edward yet?"

"Alice, don't start. Can this day get any shittier? I should've taken a mental health day." Bella returned to her desk, not answering Alice's question, and attempted to get settled into the day.

Not that the day improved. She sat by Mike and Lauren at lunch. Mike talked incessantly about the variety of diapers he had changed. He was like the Bubba Gump of diapers. His kids were cute, but she didn't need to know the intimate details of their bowel movements. Lauren wasn't much better – she was picking at a salad as she constantly complained about how fat she was getting. Bella looked down at Lauren's tiny waist and nonexistent hips, and rolled her eyes in disgust. _I could have better conversations with myself. _She looked at the opposite end of the table; Edward was sitting there chatting with Sam. They looked like they were having a good time. _Oh, well. _ At least she had successfully avoided Edward and any non-work related conversations with him.

There was a glimmer of hope in her day. Rosalie had finally responded to her email, indicating that she was still seeing Emmett and that they were still going strong. Although she had worked most of the past few weekends, they had managed to have dinner together. Bella wondered if Emmett had popped Rose's cherry yet. She and Alice were going to have to get Rose very drunk before she would divulge that information to them. Rosalie was extremely type-A and was probably researching, reading up and writing a legal brief on how, when and where she and Emmett would consummate their relationship.

Of course, Bella's computer picked the moment she hit reply to give her the "Windows' Blue Screen of Death".

"Shit!" Bella began to mumble several expletives under her breath as she picked up the phone to ask Alice for help.

"Bella, you need to call the helpdesk. I can't help you; I know you think I work in IT but I manage IT projects not support," Alice explained.

Bella groaned and dialed the number of Big Bad's helpdesk, which of course was outsourced to India.

"Hello, this is Janice. May I get your employee identification number?" the voice asked on the other end of the phone. It was blatantly obvious to Bella that "Janice" really wasn't Janice, but someone sitting in Hyderabad reading from a script.

After Bella explained her situation to Janice, Janice had her turn her computer off and on again. The computer booted up to an evil message and so Bella was told that a local support technician would be dispatched to fix the problem._ Why did I have to call halfway around the world to have someone who is here be alerted that I have a problem? _Bella shook her head with disbelief at the measures Big Bad went to in order to reduce costs. Sometimes she had a difficult time understanding the business case for all of corporate's decisions.

The technician came and began working on Bella's disgruntled computer. As Bella stood back watching the tech support do what she couldn't, she was surprised by a voice behind her.

"Bella! My office, please," Sam barked.

Bella felt a lump in her throat as her mind went through everything she had worked on. _Where did I fuck up? What did I forget? He knows. Edward told him. I am going to be fired for sexual harassment. I will have to move home, work at the Thriftway bagging groceries. Maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, sure paper cuts are bad, but I could move up and become produce manager or something. I like apples. _

Sam shut the door to his office as Bella took a seat. "Yes, Sam. Is everything okay?" She chewed on the end of her pen. _Shit! Wrong end. Ballpoint isn't poisonous, is it?_ Bella pressed her fingers to her lip and then took them away. They were covered in ink. She tried to nonchalantly rub out the ink around her lip.

Sam handed her a tissue. "Bella, I wanted to talk to you about a few things. You do realize you have ink around your mouth?" Bella nodded, slumping down into her chair. _Great, now it looks like I gave a Bic a blowjob. _"First, the Rotationer Program office called; you are late turning in your monthly assessment of Edward. As you probably recall, he assesses you as a manager and you assess him. So, work with him and get that done, today. The other thing I wanted to tell you is that I was asked to pick two people from my team to attend a new training up at Merit Ridge, Big Bad's training facility up in the Catskills. Well, after much consideration I want to send you-"

"Sam, thank you." Being asked to attend training at Merit Ridge was an honor. Not everyone was asked to attend training, especially in this environment of reduced expense budgets.

"With Edward," Sam finished. Bella's mouth dropped open. "It's a team building workshop and I was asked to nominate two people who work well together. Now, don't get me wrong; this is a great team but no one works as well as a team of two like you and Edward. You both have high growth potential, together. I foresee a very strong partnership between you two forming."

_Edward's got growth potential, in his pants. Don't think of his cock. Don't think of his – _She inadvertently licked her lips. "Wonderful," her voice was weary.

"So you leave next week. You don't have a car, do you?" Bella shook her head. She hadn't had a car since high school. She hadn't driven in ages. "I didn't think so. Okay, so find out from Cullen if he has one and if not, you'll rent one; a cheap one and drive up there. Now, go do your assessment for Edward and be sure to let him know about this. You two are my dynamic duo." Bella hated when Sam used that saying. _Wonder Twin power, activate – make me a spider monkey! No, spider monkey, stop humping Edward's leg; I really need to get more sleep. _

"Thank you, Sam, for this opportunity." Bella stood up. "I will get right on top of Edward. I mean, uh right on top of my assessment of Edward."

Bella rushed by her desk. Her computer was up and running working perfectly fine, but she didn't stop. Instead, she headed straight to the ladies' room and washed the remaining ink off her face. Could this day get any worse? Probably! She braced herself for it. _I could break my leg. Broken legs in New York City were awful. I could slip and fall on Edward's dick. No, that would be a good thing, until I lose my job. Lauren could announce that she is marrying James and he is going to work here. Yup, that would be horrible._

Back in her cubicle, Bella went to the Rotationer intranet page and downloaded the manager assessment form. Strengths: _Totally fuckable. His arms around me while I sleep. The way he looks in his clothes. That half-smile smirk that falls on his face. The way his green eyes sparkle. The way he runs his fingers through his hair. Bella, snap out of it. _Instead of writing all the things about Edward she found appealing, she wrote: Edward is a very supportive team player. He is pro-active in helping members of his team and never shies away from projects.

She looked down at the next section: Development needs: _Edward needs to develop a rock hard erection and use it to fuck me hard. _She almost typed that onto the form, but instead she wrote: Edward needs to improve upon his communication skills. He should be more willing to open up and communicate with his manager and team. By being more forthcoming about personal details, Edward would develop stronger bonds with his teammates and manager.

The final section was giving Edward a final rating based on a one to five scale: one being the lowest, five the highest and then providing justification of that score. _Edward's a ten, totally and utterly too hot. Snap out of it. _Four. She typed in four and the proceeded in her justification. Although Edward is strong and capable in the office, he needs to work on his soft skills. By opening up to team members he should be able to score a five within the next few months.

Bella reviewed what she wrote and ran spell check before saving and printing. She then quickly pinged Alice.

Isabella Swan: Have you ever been to Merit Ridge for training?

Alice Whitlock: Sure, a few years ago for BLT. You were there, remember?

Bella smiled, remembering the late night kitchenette raids she and Alice had launched during the Business Leadership Training course. Merit Ridge had multiple kitchenettes on each of the floors of the guest rooms. They were stocked multiple times each day with fresh fruit, wine, beer, and ice cream bars.

Alice Whitlock: Why? You going? So freaking jealous.

Isabella Swan: Yes – details later. TTFN.

"Edward?" She peeked into his cubicle. "Have you finished your manager assessment?"

"Yes, of course. It's been done for over a week. I've been waiting for you to finish." There was an air of annoyance in Edward's tone. Had she pushed him over the edge in avoiding him? Had he noticed?

"Let's grab an empty conference room and discuss." Edward stood up, smoothing out his flat front trousers. _I want to be his hand and smooth out his trousers._

They found a small room empty and commandeered it. "Ladies first," Edward insisted.

Bella walked him through her assessment of him that she had just completed. Edward nodded his head, agreeing with her thoughts except when she started talking about his development needs. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Can you give me a specific example of when I have demonstrated this behavior?" It was the standard Big Bad answer, when you didn't agree with a person's assessment of you.

Bella leaned forward, anticipating this question. "Edward you've been here a month and I can count on my hand all of the things I know about you. Why so secretive? What are you hiding? You don't have to give your entire life story but you keep to yourself so much. It's okay to open yourself up to people." She instantly regretted her last sentence but she couldn't take back the words that had already escaped her mouth. "Why don't you go over your assessment of me?"

The questionnaire was the same as the one she had completed. "Your strengths are that you have unbelievable depth of business knowledge and are a great teacher. You are confident enough to delegate work to other people. I have already learned a lot working under you." He smirked a little then wiped the smile from his face. "Development needs. Bella, the only thing I think you need to work on is being more direct in telling others what you want. Sometimes you should just ask. You'd be surprised at what people will say yes to. I know you've been avoiding me for the past few weeks, but don't. I promise I don't bite." Then under his breath, Bella swore she heard him say, "Unless you want me to!" She chose to ignore it, though, as she fidgeted in her chair uncomfortably.

Bella glanced around. The windows on the conference room made it impossible to do what she wanted to do – grab Edward and throw him on the conference room table. "Thank you, Edward. I appreciate your candid feedback. I will try to work on that." Bella cleared her throat before telling Edward about the training.

"Edward, there is one more thing. Sam has nominated us to go to a training session up at Merit Ridge. It's for teams that have high growth potential. Uhh, working together." Bella looked down trying not to look Edward in the eyes.

"Sam obviously sees what I see. We do have a lot of growth potential. So, Bella, how are we getting up there?" Edward leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.

"Rental car, unless you have a car."

"Not with me, but I do still have a car at my disposal at home. Sam will be happy to hear that we can save money by not having to rent. When do we leave?"

"Training starts first thing on Monday. I was planning to have us drive up Sunday afternoon."

"Why don't you come out to Connecticut with me on Saturday then we can leave from there?" Edward suggested.

Bella didn't know what to say but the idea of telling Sam she could reduce their travel expense by $200 or so did appeal to her. She relented and agreed.

As they were leaving the conference room, Edward turned to Bella. "Besides, we can talk all about our night out and improve your communication skills during the long drive," he said slyly before walking away. She shook her head. For someone who was supposed to impress her with his work skills, she was beginning to feel like Edward Cullen had a cocky side. _Mmm. Cock!_

Bella scanned her company ID badge and walked into Big Bad's corporate gym. A few days on the elliptical machine, maybe a few less cocktails, and her pants should fit. After changing into black yoga pants, a sports bra, and a tank top, Bella plugged in her iPod and began her thirty minute intervals of pseudo-running in place. She was too engrossed in her monitoring her workout, her music, and the stock ticker that was scrolling on a nearby television to realize the other gym patrons.

Once she finished her workout, Bella grabbed a wipe from the dispenser and began wiping down the handrails of the elliptical machine. Up and down. Up and down. It sort of reminded her of giving a hand job and thus Edward. Bella's mind began to imagine their long drive up to the Catskills.

_Edward would be sitting there driving. I would place my hand on his thigh, lightly rubbing it. His erection growing bigger as it strains against his jeans. No – he wouldn't be wearing jeans up to the corporate training center, maybe a nice pair of corduroys. Then I would slowly unzip his pants and pull out his large cock, rub my hand up and down before he would erupt in pleasure. Knowing my luck, he would crash the car and kill me. _

"You're quite good at giving that machine a rub down." Bella whipped her head around. Of course, Edward Cullen was on the machine just next to her.

"What?" Bella pulled the earbuds off, shaking her head. _Shit. I am all sweaty, smelly, and gross and of course he is right here looking fantastic._ She looked Edward up and down quickly as he continued to move on his elliptical machine. He was wearing Brine lacrosse shorts and a fraternity t-shirt that looked well worn.

"Oh, nothing, just that you look like you are having a good time rubbing that machine down. You have a good workout? You looked like you were enjoying it."

Bella winced. She had shaken her ass to Shakira a little too much for a corporate gym. She opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it.

"So, you're good with Saturday night?" he asked, running his hand through his hair. Bella looked around to see if there was anyone else in close proximity – there wasn't – and nodded. "Good, my mom can't wait to meet you!"

Bella's eyes bulged a little. "Uhhh. Shower. I've got to shower." Bella pivoted on her foot and headed to the women's locker room.

_I'm crazy. I'm going to lose my job. Edward better be prepared to marry me. Wait, what did I just think? Okay, let's just go with this. I'll just give up everything I've worked for become a Stepford, trophy wife or something. I can use my finance skills to balance my checkbook instead. No, Dad always said, "Bella you don't have to be the flight attendant, you can be the airline pilot." I would always say back, "Dad, why be just an airline pilot when I can be an equity stakeholder in the airline."_

As she entered the shower, Bella knew she was fucked and not in the good way. Either way she would have to give up something – her career or… She just wasn't sure what Edward was to her she just knew that the way they had been behaving couldn't continue. Her thoughts about her future continued throughout her commute home. As Bella attempted to view the subway advertisements she realized the subway peen in front of her. _Ewwwh! Fat, old, stinky man peen. So indicative of the day. Can it really get much worse? Really?_

As Bella resurfaced from the subway, her phone rang. She looked down at the caller ID. Apparently it could. As the phone rang again she contemplated picking it up. It had been a while. _Fine. She did give birth to me._

"Hi, Mom," Bella greeted her estranged mother. She wondered what her mother wanted.

"Bella, baby. How are you? I'm great," Renee answered without giving Bella a chance to respond. Bella opened her mouth to respond, but Renee cut her off. "I'm coming to New York to visit and staying with you." She wasn't giving Bella a choice.

"Umm. When?" Bella swallowed.

"I'm coming Saturday evening for the week. You know. Sightsee, shopping, go to some wild clubs and be seen." Bella wondered if she was older than her own mother. _Seen? Seen by whom? _Besides Alice, Bella realized most people in New York City did not look like they walked off the set of some show on HBO. Sure they were a little more stylish than other places but the streets were not exactly a live runway.

"Oh, mom, I'm sorry. I'm going out of town for work. You'll have to find a hotel or something. We'll have just missed one another."_Oh, darn. _Bella had tried so many times to forge a strong relationship with her mother, but as Bella was making her way through the world with her head screwed on; Renee was flightier than ever.

"You can tell them you can't go. Aren't I more important than some silly business trip?" her mother insisted.

_No. _Instead of answering, Bella didn't respond. "Oh, I see how it is. Big career comes before your mother's need to spend alimony and meet guys." _What? _

"It's just this training conference. I was selected to attend. _No, it wasn't just a training conference. _Actually, I don't run a hotel. If you want to come to New York, book a hotel stay like everyone else. Don't crash on your daughter's couch. For goodness sake, Renee, you're almost fifty years old. Isn't that a little bit too old to be crashing on your adult daughter's couch? Ever since I was little, it's been Bella, make dinner, Bella help me with the taxes. Mom, I've got enough stress in my life right now that your surprise visits are going to give me a heart attack. Why can't you plan anything a little bit farther in advance? Come for a long weekend instead when I'm in town." Bella didn't wait for an answer. "Listen, I've had one of the worst days ever. I… I can't do this right now. Goodbye, Mother!" She hit the end button and walked toward her apartment with a little bit of her lost confidence restored. Bella usually gave in to her mother's whimsical demands but there was nothing left of Bella to give to her mother, at least not at the moment.

That night Bella sought solace from George, the only person, well inanimate object, with only one expectation, fresh batteries. Since everyone had fucked Bella today, the only thing left was for Bella to fuck herself.

_**AN: If you want to review, I'll give you a teaser. **_


	8. Chapter 8: Career Delimiter

**Thanks to all of my readers – I am so glad you are enjoying this story. Huge thanks to littlesecret84 for pre-reading and Poo235, Jessica0306, and ElleCC for beta-ing. Also a huge shout out to Sue, who interviewed me for SYTYCW blog. Check it out here: **http://www (dot)sytycw (dot)com/?p=2358

Chapter 8: Career Delimiter

Bella laid out all her clothes on her bed. After further discussing the entire week with Alice and debating with herself, Bella reluctantly packed a bathing suit. Merit Ridge did have a sauna, steam room, and indoor pool. Not that there was ever much time to enjoy the facilities – training was a full-day effort and evenings were spent on group work and networking at the Blue Shack, which wasn't a shack by any means. Blue Shack, or BS as the Big Bad employees referred to it, was a fully stocked and fully operating bar with pool tables, darts, and most recently, Nintendo Wii.

Despite having Alice's help, Bella agonized over the contents of her suitcase, down to which underwear she should take. After much deliberation, she rationalized that matching bras and panties would make her feel more confident, and her favorite pair of silk pajamas, with a missing button, would be comforting while she was away from home. The rest of her wardrobe consisted of clothing she would normally wear to the office, along with a few skirts and casual clothes for networking at BS. Once she was satisfied with the contents of her suitcase, Bella glanced at the clock – just in time to grab a cab and meet Edward at Grand Central.

She was still wary of spending the night at Edward's parents' house, but there was a part of her that was excited to finally be able to learn more about him. _You can do this, Bella. He's just your rotationer. Your handsome, sexy, sweet, and brilliant rotationer, who's introducing you to his parents!_

Bella couldn't take her mind off of Edward during her taxi ride down to the large train station. _If only I could get through the next few months, then he wouldn't be under me. Oh, I want him under me. Should I have packed George? No. Right? Nothing says career delimiter like bringing your vibrator to corporate training._ _No, someone would find it somehow. Or worse – Edward would find it. Oh, that would be awful. _George needed to stay at home. She could make do for one week. She'd have to.

As she pulled her heavy suitcase through the beautiful marble hallways of Grand Central, Bella looked around for Edward. They were supposed to meet at the center information booth. She wheeled her suitcase around the kiosk, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead of wandering around aimlessly, Bella picked a spot and waited.

"Sorry, it was a bitch getting a cab uptown from the village." Bella turned around to see a man who looked like Edward but with dark -rimmed glasses. She looked him up and down, noticing the pair of jeans, a velvet blazer, and Converse; it was definitely Edward: weekend casual Edward. He pulled his suitcase closer to her. "Thanks, did you put it on the corporate card?" Edward nodded. "Good, make sure you save the receipt; we will need to submit our travel and living expenses when we get back. So, what time is this train?"

Edward glanced up at the large clock in the center of the train station. "We've got about eight minutes. We should hustle. Track 22."

Together they wheeled their bags down the track, until Edward spotted a car with two free seats facing one another. "Here, this one." Edward stopped and placed his hand over the handle of Bella's bag. "Allow me."

"Thanks," Bella replied softly. _It's just a crush. He's attractive. It's just a crush. _She slid into the empty seat next to the window and placed her Longchamp bag on the seat next to her. She didn't want to take both a purse and a laptop bag, so this handy travel tote that Alice had gotten her seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

After securing the bags by the door, Edward slid into the seat diagonal from Bella. He placed his messenger bag in the seat across from Bella and looked up at her, biting his lip. She looked at him and wanted to say so much, but instead mimicked his actions. The train was filling up and the conductor made an announcement to remove all bags and feet from the seats. Edward stood up and placed his bag in the overhead bin. Without even asking, he took Bella's tote bag and placed it up there as well. Instead of taking the seat he originally occupied, he slid over to the window seat across from Bella.

At first Bella kept her legs out to the side, but then someone came and sat next to her. So, as Edward sat with his legs spread apart, Bella shimmied her legs to rest in between his. The train had pulled out of the station, and it was cramped and their legs kept brushing up against one another. Being so close to Edward was turning Bella on; she could feel her panties becoming damp.

_Work. I should talk about work. Oh, his development needs. I can ask him about himself. _"Edward, tell me more about your parents and yourself. I'm meeting them and I barely know anything about you or them. Please?"

He cleared his throat. "We've got almost an hour. I should fill you in." Edward looked around; the woman next to them was listening to her iPod. "Okay, promise me whatever I tell you, you won't judge me for it. That you realize while I am part of my family, who and what they are doesn't define me." Bella nodded. "Good, I should tell you who they are just in case the protesters are at the house again."

"Why would people be protesting outside your house?" Bella's eyes grew wide as she racked her brain, trying to think of the names of Connecticut politicians.

Edward then began to open up about himself. He told Bella how his father, Carlisle, was an executive at a company that took money from the federal government. His father only received one dollar year as his base salary and the rest was from bonuses. Though his father refused the bonus this year, that didn't keep people from finding out he was an executive and being bused in to picket outside the family's home.

"They protested?" Bella asked, shocked at what she was hearing. She had surmised that Edward's family was well-off, but she never would have thought like that.

"They still do. Not as much as when Dad's company first took the TARP money, but they are still out there a few days a week. It's actually kind of funny. My mom, who is picking us up, is the quintessential hostess. So every day, these people are bused in to try to disrupt my parents' lives and she's outside giving them lemonade and homemade cookies. I wouldn't put it past her now that the weather has cooled down to bring them hot chocolate and apple cider," Edward said, laughing and shaking his head. He really didn't seem bothered by his family's circumstances.

"So, your dad is pretty much not getting paid this year?" Bella couldn't imagine if Charlie didn't receive a paycheck; not that he lived paycheck to paycheck, but things would be tight. Edward didn't respond and the silence was uncomfortable. _He's finally opening up to me. I can see why he's so guarded now; it doesn't explain everything but this is a start. If he's going to be open, maybe I should be, too? It's going to come up at some point. Just say it, put it out there, you know you'll feel better._

"No, I won't," Bella muttered under her breath in response to her own internal monologue.

"What?" Edward looked at her and leaned in toward her. Her legs were completely surrounded by his.

_My knee could so easily just brush the inside of his thigh right now and it would be totally legit. We are in close quarters. I could totally pull off a legit cock feel. _

"Edward, about the double date with Rose and Emmett – it was the most fun I've had in a really long time. But I don't know what to do, and I hate not knowing the answer to something. I always know the answer, but apparently this isn't something you can just Google. It's complicated."

Edward pressed his legs inward so that they were squeezing Bella's and then placed his hand on her knee. "I know. It'll all work out. I'm sure," he replied softly.

"Next stop, Stamford," the conductor announced over the loudspeaker.

Edward and Bella gathered their bags and stood, waiting for the doors to open. Once the train pulled into the station, Bella followed Edward toward a line of cars waiting to pick up passengers. He waved to a woman in a Porsche Cayenne SUV.

"That's my mom," Edward pointed out.

As they approached, the trunk popped open and Edward put both his suitcase and Bella's inside. He then proceeded to open the back- door. Bella slid inside, expecting Edward to take the front seat next to his mother, but instead he slid in next to her.

"Hi, Ms. Swan. I'm Esme Cullen. It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman driving said as she weaved her way out of the lot.

"Please, call me Bella, Mrs. Cullen. Thank you so much for opening your home up to me for the night."

"Call me Esme; I insist. And the pleasure is all mine. Edward has told us how much he enjoys working for you."

"Mom… Please," Edward replied. Bella couldn't help but feel like they were two teenagers too young to drive and being driven on a date. She tried her best to not look at Edward, opting to stare out her window.

Bella couldn't help but notice how beautiful the fall foliage was in Connecticut. She realized she had never really seen so many colorful trees, not in Phoenix, nor in the evergreen state of Washington. Her eyes affixed on a strange bird on the side of the road.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the bird by the side of the road.

"It's a wild turkey. They are nasty as all hell," Edward explained.

The farther Esme drove, the larger the houses became, and she was thankful that Edward had disclosed his family's situation to her. Finally, she turned down a windy road marked "Private," before pressing a button and opening up large wrought-iron gates. _Holy moly!_

Bella's eye widened as she saw the large house with a detached garage. Esme pulled up to the front door via the circular drive and popped the trunk.

As they climbed out of the car, Esme called out to Edward, "I have Bella in the guest room down the hall from your room."

Bella followed Esme into the house with Edward carrying both suitcases inside. As if the exterior of the home hadn't been large and overwhelming, and despite the warm tones inside of Edward's home, Bella couldn't help but feel out of her league. Sure, she and Edward were intellectually on par with one another, but although she was his superior in the office, she came to the stunning realization that the world she knew and the world Edward knew were two vastly different places.

The guest room contained a large floral comforter and queen-sized bed. The furniture was all white, and everything about the room conveyed a sense of welcome and springtime. It was the essence of femininity. Even though it wasn't Bella's usual style, she couldn't help but want to bury herself in the fluffy bedding and pillows.

After Bella put her stuff down and settled in, Edward knocked on the door. He had swapped his blazer for a hoodie. He entered her room and asked if she wanted to join him in driving a few golf balls out back. _Balls. Edward had asked about balls. _Bella looked at him and unintentionally licked her lips.

"Golf sounds great, but I have only played a few times and I'm not very good. Can I golf like this?" she asked, motioning to her outfit of a v-neck tunic, jeans, and ballet flats.

"Yeah, you should be fine like that. We are just driving, not playing an actual round. You can use my mom's clubs and I can give you some pointers," Edward replied, leading Bella to the back of the house and down a few steps to an area with mats set up for tees.

Bella couldn't help but think of trite scenes in movies during which the girl always needed help to play billiards and the guy came from behind to help her with her cue. If only her golf lesson could be like that – that would be awesome and horrible at the same time.

Edward left for a few moment, returning with two golf bags, a pink one and a black one, along with a bucket of balls. He instructed her how to swing and told her to try a few practice ones before actually trying with a ball. He watched her and then placed a ball on a tee for her to try to hit. Bella took a large swing just as he had showed her, but the ball only moved a few feet.

"Here, let me try to get you better aligned," Edward said as he came around from behind Bella. Their bodies were now aligned with one another. Edward put his arms around Bella, placing his hands over hers on the golf club.

_This is so cliché. _Bella looked down and noticed that with the way her arms were placed, her boobs were practically popping out of her sweater.

"Head down. Now push your arms into your chest and when you swing, keep your arms as straight as possible," Edward whispered into her ear. He took her through the motions, and as he did, his hips ground into her butt. Together they sent the ball flying through the air in a high arch, landing near the tree line.

"I did it!" Bella squeaked. Edward pulled his hands away and stepped back.

"Try it again, on your own," he instructed, watching her.

They spent the better part of the afternoon hitting balls in the Cullens' backyard. Edward seemed to never tire out, but after a handful of balls, Bella sat back on a nearby bench and watched him.

"Jeez, Edward, do you ever get tired of whacking balls?" Bella teased but then instantly regretted saying something so crass. Edward turned around, returned the golf club to the bag, and walked over to her.

"Sorry this is boring. We can go in. I think my parents are grilling tonight. If I recall correctly, you like meat, right?"

Bella covered her now pink face with her hands. "I said that, didn't I? Yes, I like meat," she confessed.

"Then you'll love my meat!"

Bella turned her head away from him. She took in the breathtaking landscaping. She wasn't sure how to respond; she could continue with the innuendo or try to bring it back to a much more professional tone. "Ughhhh. This is what is killing me. Here we are, not at work, but I'm your manager and I want to be all friendly and keep up this type of conversation, but then part of me is like "boundaries." You know?"

"No. Bella, if you haven't badged in with security, we are not in the office. Be yourself with me and I'll be myself with you. We'll let the chips fall where they may, as they say." Edward shrugged and stood up, holding out his hand to Bella.

She took his hand as he helped her off the bench, and they walked back inside, both of them feeling awkward and uncomfortable, walked with their arms crossed. Esme was in the open kitchen doing prep work for dinner. Bella offered to help and Esme took her up on the offer, obviously eager to have another female to converse with. Esme shooed Edward away, claiming his father wanted to talk with him in his office.

After Edward padded away, Esme set Bella up with some vegetables, a cutting board, and a knife. They spoke about Bella's background and how long she had lived in New York City. Esme also asked about Bella's experience working at Big Bad Corporation.

"So how long has it been, Bella?" Esme asked, turning around to face her.

"How long what?" Bella was unsure what Esme was asking her. She poured the cut vegetables into a bowl and put the knife down.

"How long have you been in love with my son?" Esme inquiredflatly.

Bella was caught completely off guard. "I…I'm not in love with Edward. That's preposterous. I'm his manager; he's my rotationer. No, no, I'm not in love with Edward. That would be crazy and stupid and a sure-fire way to get fired or something." Bella shook her head in disbelief. She started to feel like the room was spinning and grabbed onto the rounded edge of the granite countertop.

Esme didn't say anything, but she noticed Bella was getting lightheaded and led her over to a stool behind the counter. She gave Bella a glass of water and lightly rubbed her back before she went back to prepping dinner. The seeds were set in Bella's mind as she thought more and more about her feelings for Edward.

Bella was still sitting at the counter when Esme called to her husband and Edward to start up the grill. The two men came into the room. Bella had never met Edward's father before, and Carlisle Cullen was an older version of his son, though the heavy bags under his eyes indicated he hadn't slept well in a long while.

"Bella, this is my dad, Carlisle. Dad, this is my rotation manager, Isabella Swan," Edward said, introducing the two.

"Mr. Cullen." Bella nodded as she shook hands with Edward's father.

"Technically, it's Dr. Cullen, but please, Bella, call me Carlisle."

Esme pulled a tray of raw meat out of the Sub-Zero fridge and handed it to her husband. "Don't overcook the filet this time. Leave the Blackberry on the counter, and Edward, try not to get your father all riled up."

As she watched Edward's family assemble dinner and then sit down and eat as a family, Bella was remorseful for judging the Cullens. Sure, they lived in this palatial estate and were obviously wealthy, but it was abundantly clear during dinner that they were like any other family with issues. She was still unsure about what Edward had done after graduating college, but she now suspected that Edward's family's connections had helped him get his foot in the door at Big Bad. Carlisle spoke of Big Bad's CEO, the one who Sam proudly displayed a picture of in his office, as his weekly squash partner.

After helping Esme with the dishes, Bella and Edward retreated to the Cullens' media room. Edward instructed Bella to pick a movie, any movie, from his family's vast collection.

Bella's eyes skimmed the titles and found a few that stuck in her mind: _Disclosure – _no, _Wall Street – no, Working Girl – hmm, Secret to My Success – hmm, Office Space – Yes! _She handed Edward the DVD and he smiled.

"Great choice – one of my favorites. Sam and Bill Lundberg are like cut from the same cloth!" Edward set up the DVD and sat next to Bella in a cushy chair.

They laughed through the entire movie, and when it ended, they quietly walked up the steps together. They shared a similar sense of humor and enjoyed spending time together; even an activity that didn't require conversation came with ease. Edward walked Bella to her room and made sure she had everything she needed. He turned toward her before leaving the room.

"Sweet dreams. I'll be down the hall if you need anything."

_You. I need you. Stay. _She tried to convey her thoughts with her eyes. Instead of sharing her feelings, she merely replied, "Thanks." She hated not being in control of her own feelings, that Esme could see right through her and wondered who else knew. Most of all she hated that neither she nor Edward knew what to do.

As soon as the door closed, Bella sat on the bed and reflected on her visit: the train ride, what Esme had said, her golf lesson, the level of comfort she felt eating dinner, the ease with which she and Edward could watch a movie. It all seemed to come with so naturally. It was within reach, but yet so unobtainable. With that thought, she ran to the attached bathroom and heaved the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl.

**AN: I am going to be out of the country on vacation. No updates until the end of the month. I do plan to write while I am away, if there's time. Thank you so much for reading. Reviews get teasers of the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9: Deer Me

**AN: Sorry for the delay: vacation, ending my work at Big Bad, starting a new job, and school have all been kicking my arse. I re-wrote this chapter too. Huge thanks to Poo235, JadedandBoring (check out her stories), Littlesecret84, and Isabel Grace for all of their help.**

**I own nothing but bags under my eyes.**

Chapter 9: Deer Me

The sun was shining through the window as Bella struggled to open her eyes. She snuggled into the goose down comforter and fluffy pillows. _I feel like a princess in this bed. I never want to leave._ Closing her eyes, Bella managed to fall back asleep. She had been tired and it had taken her awhile to fall asleep the previous night; throwing up had not helped.

An hour later Bella woke up again. Her inappropriate feelings for Edward were still causing her stomach to turn, but she tried to push those feelings aside. She put on a bra, brushed her teeth, and went to find Edward. He didn't respond when Bella knocked. _He must be downstairs. _Making her way to the staircase, she could hear voices from the kitchen. Normally she wouldn't think anything of it, but she heard her name and it piqued her interest.

"She's smart, beautiful, and caring. We really don't see what is impeding you. You have always been a go-getter. Well, you used to be before you gave up on everything. I thought you were trying to be more ambitious?"

"I can't do anything right now. She's my boss for the next few months and then she could be my coworker. Sam wants me to join his team…"

Bella leaned against the banister and strained to hear what was being said.

She heard Edward's voice, stern and angry. "Don't talk to your lawyer. I'll figure it out."

Unsure what she was overhearing, Bella came barreling down the steps loudly. She made her way into the kitchen and saw Esme, Carlisle, and Edward sitting around the table in the breakfast nook.

"Morning!" she cried a little too enthusiastically. Edward and his parents looked up at Bella and smiled.

"Morning, sweetheart. Can I get you some coffee?" Esme asked, getting up and closing her robe over her dark green silk men's-style pajamas.

"No, I don't drink coffee, but do you have orange juice?" Bella asked.

"Yes, of course. What can I make for you? Both Carlisle and Edward had omelets," Esme called out as she fiddled around in the fridge, putting various ingredients on the counter.

"Mom, can you pour me a glass too? No pulp," Edward said, looking up. His eyes met Bella's and he winked.

"Edward, you have two feet. Get your own juice." Esme shook her head as she began to crack eggs into a bowl. "Bella, what do you want in your omelet? Cheese? Tomatoes? Mushrooms? Onions?"

Bella didn't recall saying she even wanted an omelet, but she shrugged it off. "Cheese. Just cheese." Her eyes went straight to Edward, who was now standing up. In his grey sweatpants, Bella couldn't help but notice the bulge around his crotch. Her eyes travelled up and noticed the ripples of his abs showing through his white tank top.

He handed her a cold glass of orange juice and then began pouring one for himself. "Bella, take a seat. We were discussing how Ben Bernanke has written papers on Japanese economic malaise and yet he is steering the US in a similar direction."

Carlisle choked on his coffee.

It was so blatantly obvious that they had changed the topic of conversation on her account, but she didn't let on that she knew this. Instead, Bella sat down in the empty seat and Edward followed, sitting next to her. Her eyes met Edward's, and he raised his eyebrows.

Bella took another sip of juice. "Wow! That is some breakfast conversation. I think if we continue with this zero-interest rate policy we could easily fall down the same path as the Japanese," Bella said. She then took another sip of her juice and noticed Carlisle winking at Edward out of the corner of her eye.

"Bella, that is very astute. You have a great head for business," Carlisle commented.

"Here you go, dear." Esme presented a plate with a huge omelet garnished with fruit in front of Bella before taking her seat back at the table.

"Thank you."

Bella ate her omelet and enjoyed the conversation around her. She felt so comfortable around the Cullens. They were so open and welcoming. Meeting his parents helped, but there were still some gaping holes in his life, like what did he do between college and working for Big Bad?

A few hours later, both Edward and Bella were freshly showered and packing up Edward's car, a Volvo C70 convertible. Ever the gentleman, Edward began loading the luggage into the small trunk.

"Can you stuff those big suitcases into such a small space?" Bella asked, watching him trying to figure out the optimal way to load their luggage.

"Believe me, I'm an expert at stuffing oversized items into tight spaces. The tighter, the better," Edward replied. She was sure he wasn't referring to luggage.

True to his word, Edward was able to fit all of their luggage into his small car. Bella never imagined that a Volvo could be such a sexy car, but somehow the hardtop convertible with Edward stroking the gear shift was one of the sexiest things she had witnessed.

His car hugged the curves of the historic roads of Connecticut. She didn't want to broach any topic with Edward as they all seemed to lead back to the one conversation she didn't, or rather, couldn't have. Instead of talking, Edward fooled with the radio as Bella stared out the window, enjoying the scenery.

Her eyes grew heavy as she leaned against her seatbelt and fell asleep, her dreams consisting of a naked Edward doing naughty things to her in her bed with her vibrator, George.

"Mmmh, Edward. Ohh, George. That's the spot," Bella moaned still half asleep. Her eyes began to flutter open as she awoke from her sensual dream. Looking over at Edward, Bella saw a huge grin over his face.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Who's George?" he responded.

Bella swallowed. She knew she could either be honest with Edward or she could pretend that he was crazy and what she had said out loud was nonsense.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Bella replied in denial of her nocturnal admissions. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked down, a tell-tale sign of lying.

Edward looked over at her and noticed that her face was a soft pink hue. His eyes turned back to the road. "I didn't realize you had a boyfriend."

"I don't."

Suddenly Bella felt the car screeching to halt before spiraling 360 degrees. Gripping the side of the seat, Bella saw her life flash before her eyes. Her childhood, graduation, working, spending time with friends – it was devoid of one thing, love.

As the car screeched to a halt, Edward's arm instinctively outstretched to hold Bella back from hitting the windshield; the gesture was unnecessary since Bella was wearing her seatbelt, but the act caused Edward's hand to brush against her breast. Not that Bella was thinking about Edward's hand on her breast, her eyes were now watching the brown blur galloping into the woods.

Panting and breathless, Edward took his hand from across Bella's chest and moved it to her thigh and leaned in closer to her. "We almost hit a deer. It came out of nowhere. I should have been watching the road. Did you see that? We could have… Are you okay?"

With her heart still in her throat Bella turned to face Edward, her eyes meeting his. She couldn't speak, but she leaned in closer to him as she realized the gravity of what had just occurred. Not thinking and just acting on pure instinct, her lips closed in on his, lightly pressing on his lips. Edward reacted and pulled her lips closer to his, enveloping her in his mouth. Bella stopped trying to fight and gave in. Edward held her face in place as he continued to explore her mouth. _Hello, Vasco DeGama! _Bella welcomed Edward's exploration and kissed him back.

Out of air, they both pulled away simultaneously this time. Edward turned back to the steering wheel, pausing for a few moments before slowly starting the powerful engine. Bella leaned back into her seatbelt and pressed her head against the window, turning her eyes away from Edward. The drive continued in silence.

As Edward drove, Bella sat there wallowing in emotions that ran the gamut from anger to elation. She had felt something; she had never felt something so strong in a kiss and even a half hour after the deer incident, her heart was still pounding in her chest. She pondered if now would be the best time to approach him; he would be caught off guard and might be more forthcoming with information. She knew if the tables were turned that she was far too wound up in her emotions to have her filter turned on.

"Edward, where were you between graduating college and starting at Big Bad?"

"Umm, how about I tell you when we stop for lunch? I don't need another distraction while driving," he replied without turning his eyes from the road.

_So he is going to tell me something about him after all_. Bella watched the road and looked for signs indicating places they could stop for lunch. She looked over at him, no longer able to bear the silence.

"What's with all of the mystery? Did you kill a man or something?"

Edward leaned his head back and laughed. "No, I didn't kill a man. You've been listening to Johnny Cash too much."

Bella thought about his answer for a moment. Edward was great at deflecting. The comments she overheard this morning before breakfast still didn't make sense. Most people she knew loved to talk about themselves but then, Edward was never forthcoming with much information about himself.

"So you like country music?"

"I like almost all kinds of music except for anything too religious and anything that promotes violence."

"Was that so hard, Edward Cullen?"

"What was so hard?" Edward glanced down at his crotch, before returning his eyes back to the road.

"Sharing a little tidbit of information about yourself. It isn't a crime to let people get to know you."

"Lunch?" Edward pointed to a sign indicating a diner.

"Sounds good, but lunch goes on the corporate card."

A few minutes later Edward pulled into a roadside diner. It was one of those places frozen in time, where the waitresses wore dresses with aprons and pointy glasses. Often, they went by the name Laverne or Flo. The pair grabbed a booth toward the back of the restaurant. After ordering, Bella propped her elbow on the Formica and chrome table, resting her chin in her hand.

"Okay, so where were you? What's the big secret?" She didn't understand what all the secrecy was about. She got that she and Edward were from very different worlds. Seeing his parents' house proved that, but what else was he hiding?

"No, I want to hear more of your theories. Come on. Then I'll tell you."

Bella pursed her lips together as she thought. "You developed some type of addiction and went to rehab?"

"Good one. What kind of addiction?"

"Drugs? No. Alcohol? No, I've seen you drink. Sex? Hmm… you're a sex addict like Mulder from the X-Files."

"Not quite. Keep going."

Before she could say anything, the waitress interrupted them and they ordered their lunch. When she left, Bella continued guessing.

"Peace Corps?"

"No, I don't rough it."

"You don't rough it. So that rules out volunteering in third world countries. You did Teach for America?"

"Too respectable."

"You channeled your inner Tom Cruise and served cocktails at a resort in the Caribbean?"

"My inner Tom Cruise? I think not."

"Ugh, Edward, I give up. Just tell me already."

"So, _The Reader's Digest _version is that I was in Europe."

"Why are you so secretive about that? Lots of kids go backpacking in Europe after graduation."

"I had a falling out with my parents shortly before graduation. I stayed long enough to get my degree and then I fled for Europe. I stayed there for a few years. I thought that there was nothing for me at home."

Bella looked into his eyes; they were heavy and sad looking, not able to focus on her. She looked down and realized that as he was talking he was shredding his napkin into little pieces. "Is that all? Europe. You were in Europe for a couple of years."

He continued. "Yeah, Europe. I went everywhere."

"I had a bunch of friends who did that. They took huge backpacks and stayed in hostels, took the trains everywhere on some Europass. Is that what you did?"

"No, I already told you I'm not one for roughing it. I stayed in hotels, spent most of my time drinking and partying."

Bella's eyes and mouth widened; Edward surely didn't seem like a party boy. She tried to imagine him partying like Paris Hilton would. Often when she worked long days she wished if she won the lottery she could lead a life of leisure. Why would anyone choose to leave such a lifestyle? "So why'd you come home?"

The waitress set their food down on the table. Edward motioned for Bella to eat. "I don't want to talk about that. I had to. I had no choice but to return home. I blinked my eyes and soon I was working for Big Bad."

Bella put half of her grilled cheese sandwich down on the plate and narrowed her eyes. "Well, Edward, thank you so much for sharing, but you are definitely hiding something."

"Yeah, so what if I am?" Edward shrugged and took a big bite of his cheeseburger. The silence as he chewed was palpable, but Bella was anxious to hear more.

"You dated an heiress and it led to some big scandal?"

Edward continued to chew and neither denied nor confirmed anything.

"You dated Paris Hilton?"

"What?" Edward said with his mouth full of half-chewed meat. "I didn't date Paris Hilton."

Bella crinkled her nose. _That is so disgusting, but him talking with his mouth full proves he's human. _

"So, who'd you date?"

"I didn't date any heiress when I was in Europe. Jeez, woman."

"So, Europe is the big secret?"

"It's the part I feel like sharing."

_Aha! There is more!_

Bella nodded and decided if he wasn't going to share anymore, perhaps he could at least tell her more about his travels. "So Europe. I've always wanted to go to Europe. Where did you go in Europe?" It was easier to start with a lighter question. She didn't want to interrogate him.

"I'll take you one day." Edward's automatic response contained desires even he wasn't ready to come to terms with. "Uhh… London for a while, then France. I spent a while in Cannes, bummed around the film festival. I then spent some time skiing in the Alps. Summered around Lake Cuomo then headed down to the rest of Italy. Amsterdam the longest," he said as he rattled off the list quickly. Bella couldn't help but think that his newfound chatter was intentional. _ Perhaps he was trying to hide his initial response._

Bella nodded her head. Amsterdam made sense. He must have smoked weed and hung out in the red-light district. The thought of the city reminded her of that famous movie.

"Do they really call quarter pounders Royale with cheese?"

Edward responded with a deep seated laugh. "I love that about you. You take one subject and completely twist it around into something hilarious."

She really didn't comprehend what he was saying. He loved her humor? He loved her? She thought about his Johnny Cash comment. "Funny, I could say the same thing about you?"

Edward placed his hand on top of hers. "Could you now?"

Looking down, Bella quickly pulled her hand out from underneath his. She liked her body parts being under his, but she wouldn't allow her mind to travel down that path. Instead she switched her thoughts to his current position at Big Bad. Without any transition she blurted out, "So, how did you come about getting into the rotational program at Big Bad?"

"My dad plays golf with the CEO and he sort of helped me. Well, he at least forwarded my résumé to HR."

This hadn't surprised Bella; she had quickly learned from living in New York that more often than not, it was about who you knew and not what you knew. "Well, I'm sure you impressed HR. You're very good at what you do. You have a very keen sense of business. Not that I'm not telling you anything you don't know."

Edward nodded. Bella continued, "So, you used connections to get your foot in the door. You are here because of your work effort not because of who your dad plays golf with."

"I hadn't really thought about it like that." Edward mumbled, looking down at the worn Formica table.

Looking at him, she didn't resent him for using his connections to get to where he was. It was obvious from his work product that Edward was intelligent and belonged at Big Bad. She didn't resent him. She wanted to know more, but what he said would have to suffice.

Bella opened her mouth to respond, but she wasn't sure how and quickly shut it. She went back to finishing her lunch and whipped out her corporate card to pay the bill for both of them. After signing for the check, the pair walked out in silence. Edward opened the passenger car door for her. Bella didn't protest.

As Edward took his seat, Bella looked over at him. _Go on, wimp. Say it._ "Edward, I think you are pretty fantastic. Thank you for sharing a little bit more about yourself with me. I liked learning more about you."

He placed his hand over hers. "Thank you for listening to me." This time Bella didn't pull her hand away.

They continued their drive to Merit Ridge in silence but instead of being awkward, it was comfortable. Edward kept one hand on the wheel and the other on top of Bella's hand.

Edward pulled up to the front of the hotel section and quickly sped around to open Bella's door. He then went and retrieved their bags from the trunk. Bella waited for Edward to finish parking the car before checking in. She looked at her hand, thinking about how Edward's had been resting on it only a few moments ago. She missed his touch. _That's odd. Missing someone's touch? I never felt this way about Jake, though Jake had the hands of a mechanic. They were rough and he always had grime under his fingernails. _

The lobby of Merit Ridge's hotel had a rustic look to it with exposed wood beams in the ceiling, but thankfully there were no dead animal heads hanging on the walls.

Bella felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around. "You didn't have to wait for me."

"I wanted to," she said softly as she wheeled her suitcase up to the check-in counter.

Bella approached the check-in counter first. She was handed her room assignment and keys – 214. She waited for Edward to check-in. Secretly she hoped they were assigned rooms near one another for many reasons. First, for professional reasons - it would be helpful for them to be in close proximity to finish team assignments. Second, she hated these corporate events where she had to push her introverted personality to the side and pretend to be an extrovert. Third, she was curious to see if that kiss they had shared was a by-product of adrenaline or something else.

Edward returned to her and held up his folio containing his keys. "216. You?"

Bella bit down on her lip and raised an eyebrow. "214."

"Nice."

The two of them walking side by side, pulled their bags to their adjacent rooms. As they both entered their rooms, they each wore huge grins on their faces.

**AN: You know the drill – review get a teaser (It's very Pavlovian). I also post teasers on Fictionators and on PictTease both post on Mondays.**

**Oh and I am doing something for Fandom Gives Back. **


	10. Chapter 10: Low Hanging Fruit

Chapter 10 – Low Hanging Fruit:

**AN: Sorry for the delay – I just finished up getting my MBA and the last few weeks have been hell. Huge thanks to Poo235 (congratulations), LittleSecret84, Isabel Grace, SandsandSirens. Now that school is over, I should have more time to write. Oh and I bought a book called Corporate Bullshit, so I'm including definitions.**

**Low Hanging Fruit:1) something easily attained or accomplished 2) something that's easy to do**

**When we left Bella and Edward they were at training….**

"Bella, wait up. We need to talk about this."

Bella was tired. She had stayed at the Blue Shack far too late last night drinking. Even after leaving she had stayed up too late. It was only the second day of training, and already things with Edward were awkward. The energy between them left Bella with constantly wet panties; she had almost given up on wearing any at all.

Their first night at Merit Ridge, she thought Edward had gotten over their kiss in his car. He never mentioned it. For that, in all of her avoidance glory, Bella was thankful. During their first day of training, they had barely talked. Though, they had been put into separate classes. In fact, all of the partners who were attending training had been split up that day. It was supposed to be a day of self-discovery.

Bella knew herself fairly well. She had smirked at the term self-discovery since she, with the help of George, tended to discover herself quite frequently. Self-discovery in corporate training wasn't about getting yourself off with your trusty vibrator; it was about learning about yourself through well researched tests and self quizzes.

If Bella had to answer a question about if she often… one more time she was going to puke. She knew damn well she was an introvert and didn't need Myers or Briggs to tell her that. She also knew that she was a thinker in her communication style. Most of this self-discovery yielded the same result out of Bella throughout the day, a long exhaustive "duh!"

In all honesty, Bella could have probably learned more about herself from doing quizzes in those fashion magazines that Alice always kept in her tote bag, but she had muddled through the day. Her only respite had been the breaks and lunch time. Those had been the only parts of that first day she had seen Edward.

Edward, Bella assumed, according to Myers-Briggs was an extrovert because throughout the day he was seen talking to one person or another. He had seemed so comfortable gabbing with the other men wearing the standard Big Bad uniform of blue shirts and grey pants. She would never admit that she was relieved when she had entered the dining room and he had waved her over to sit by him. She hated making small talk with people she barely knew and would probably never see again.

The afternoon session had yielded more self-discovery and for the compliance portion of the day, a daring video presentation on what was and wasn't sexual harassment. The video, using the voice of a well-known actor, had made use of the phrase, "This is sexual harassment. This is not." Thank goodness the lights were off so that her classmates couldn't see Bella's constant eye rolling.

That night she had sat with Edward and a few of the people he had class with that day. Edward could easily join in on any conversation and he had been discussing the Giants football season and how it paled in comparison to the previous years'. Bella had sat there, wishing she knew more about sports. Of the many things in life she had learned to fake, conversations about sports was not one of them. So instead, Bella had poked around her chicken and vegetables and nursed what would become her first of several drinks of the evening.

Later at the Blue Shack, while Edward had played pool, that one drink turned into several others. As the night wore on, the corporate gathering place had cleared out. First, by people who had families and kids, which accounted for about 98% of the people attending the training. Then, the single people from overseas, all two of them, left as they claimed they were succumbing to jetlag. Finally leaving Bella, Edward and the bartender.

Both had been sufficiently inebriated when they had decided to walk back to their rooms together. As they had walked, Edward's hand slid from the small of Bella's back down to her ass. At first she didn't say anything as they had arrived in front of Edward's room first.

It was there that Bella had turned to him, thus removing the contact his hand had made with her ass, and drunkenly stated, "That, Eddie, is sexual harassment."

Edward took his hand and placed it on her breast, squeezing her tit like a piece of fruit. "That is not sexual harassment. This is sexual harassment, and don't call me Eddie," he had said as he squeezed it again.

Bella had allowed Edward's hand to remain on her breast as she moved her hand to cup his crotch. She gave it a light squeeze, careful not to hurt his family jewels. She could feel that he was quite large and aroused.

"No, that is not sexual harassment. This is sexual harassment, Ed-ward."

"Fuck yeah, it is and I like it!" Edward had replied as he pushed Bella against the door. His hips had pushed into her hand a little more. Her breast had smooshed up against his chest, and she could feel her nipples were erect.

Neither had made a move with their lips, but as each of their hands had shown the other inappropriate places to touch, it had seemed inevitable where this night would lead.

"We should get out of the hallway. There could be cameras or someone could see us," Bella had said as Edward fumbled for his key card.

It had been almost on cue that the nice woman from housekeeping had come wheeling down the hall. Her cart had squeaked as it came closer.

The squeaking had been enough to scare Bella sufficiently. She had taken it as an omen that this was not the time nor the place for this type of encounter, and so she had untangled herself from Edward's grasp and slipped quickly to her door.

"Edward, not tonight. Not like this," she had told him before closing her door.

Unfortunately, not getting off and knowing a thin wall was the only thing separating her from Edward had kept Bella up most of the night. She had heard him take a very long shower, and she had wondered if it had been cold. Then she had heard him watching television before his room had gone silent. Eventually Bella succumbed to her own sleep.

Now, her she was being chased by him again. She had grabbed a piece of fruit on her way to class in an effort to avoid any awkward confrontations. She, however, quickly learned upon entering the learning center that today's lesson was about partner discovery.

"We could have gotten a jump start on today's lesson last night," Edward said, finally catching up to her.

Bella turned around to try to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Edward wasn't embarrassed about what had transpired last night, but now wasn't the time to discuss this.

Thankfully, before things became anymore strained, the instructors announced class was going to be starting, and Bella and Edward headed into the classroom to receive today's marching orders.

The day was relatively simple. Each group of partners was given a blindfold. One partner was to blindfold the other and lead them on a trust walk around campus. Each group could go wherever they pleased. Once at their destination, the person who had been blindfolded would then share the results of their day of self-discovery with their partner. In the afternoon, they were to switch roles.

Bella looked toward the window – it was a beautiful fall day outside. The air was crisp, but she was certain that her heavy cardigan she had put on over her satin tank top would be sufficient.

"Why don't you go first?" Edward suggested, playing with the blindfold in his hands. Not replying, Bella bit her lip. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yes, but no." Bella did trust Edward, but she didn't trust herself with him.

Edward didn't have a chance to reply; the instructor had come over to see what was prolonging these two. They were definitely the youngest pair at training, and the pair that had been working together the shortest amount of time.

"Have you two decided who is going to be blindfolded first?" the instructor asked.

"Bella will be. She trusts me," Edward quipped.

"Great, well, get started. You may want to walk around campus. It's a nigh day out."

"I have a few places in mind," Edward replied.

The instructor nodded and walked away as Bella snatched the blindfold out of Edward's hand. She had tied a single knot around the back of her head when Edward came around behind her and tied a tighter one. He placed his hand on her hip and whispered in her ear, "Well, I think Big Bad's got a kinky side, or perhaps you do?"

Before she could answer, Bella felt her hand being pulled by Edward as he led her out of the classroom. He was very careful with her, instructing her whenever there were steps, holding doors open for her and keeping their hands clasped together the entire time that they walked.

In the abyss of darkness, Bella relied on the sensation beneath her feet to give her clues about her whereabouts. She knew as they left the building because, not only was everything quieter outside, but she could feel the shift from industrial-grade carpeting to asphalt on one of the many nature paths around Merit Ridge.

As Bella grew more trusting that Edward would not let her fall, she grew more silent. Instead of asking how many steps she needed to take, she allowed him to steady himself behind her. It didn't take a genius to realize that for Bella and Edward this was much more than a trust walk. The closeness and neediness she felt for him now came out of necessity.

"Okay, we are almost there. Sorry it took so long. I wanted us to be away from the others so we could talk. Really talk," Edward said as he came to a stop. Taking Bella's hand he turned her around so that she was facing him. With one hand, he pulled down her blindfold.

Bella looked around. _Holy cow. I didn't even know this place existed. _"How'd you find this place?" She asked as she looked around the meadow. It had to be beautiful here when the weather was warm. Now she saw large leaf piles, and the clearing they were in was surrounded by tall, but bare, trees.

"I was told about it when I was here for rotationer training. I wanted a place where we could talk and not worry about being overheard."

Bella thought Edward was going to kiss her, so she took a few steps back and sat down on the grass, not caring if she ended up with grass stains on her work clothes. Always one to play by the rules, she proceeded with following the list of instructions for their given tasks.

"So the results of my self-discovery… I'm an INTP. You know – introverted, intuitive, thinking and perceiving?"

Edward joined Bella and sat across from her. "Your perceptive and intuitive? Really?" He smirked.

"What? I'm perceptive."

"Oh, I'll give you introverted and thinking but intuitive and perceiving are both another story."

"Why?"

"Some things are so abundantly obvious, Bella, and yet you have to make everything so analytical and difficult. What kind of learner did the learning test say you were?"

"I'm a visual learner. I can usually see something and I get it. Why? What are you getting at?"

"I learn by doing. For me to fully understand something, I have to do it. So, for me to understand you…"

"You have to do me?" _Edward isn't making any sense._ Though nothing today was making sense, in fact, nothing had made sense since they had watched their lives flash before their eyes two days ago.

"Bella, did you not have caffeine this morning? You can be so dense. Don't you see – us. This thing between us isn't going away, and ignoring it or letting our drunken selves take over doesn't help. Frankly, it's driving me nuts. You're driving me nuts."

"Edward, what are you trying to tell me? You want me?"

"You make me crazy. Fuck corporate policy. I don't want us to do something and blame it on alcohol. I want to blame it on my heart."

Bella, who hadn't had caffeine this morning, was trying to comprehend all the words coming out of Edward's mouth. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Of course, he had the balls to say it out loud. _Hey, he has balls, literally. I don't. _"I'm sorry," she said out loud. "I'm sorry I think about consequences and I fully think before I speak." _Okay, not all of the time. _She thought of the few Freudian slips she had at work…

"Well, then it's a good think I am an aggressor when I communicate. I try to push my ideas on others. Right now I have an idea about us that I want to push on you."

Bella looked around. They really were isolated from the rest of the Merit Ridge campus. "I'm open to your ideas."

Edward slid over to Bella and began to kiss her. It was soft and tender at first, not hungry and desperate like the kiss they had shared in the car. Bella pulled Edward closer, tugging on his hair with her fingers. She had once dated a man who voluntarily shave his head – always had felt strange to kiss him and not thread her fingers through his hair. Edward's hair was thick and soft. Bella made a mental note to find out what conditioner he used.

His weight now over her, Bella slowly widened the space between her legs until it allowed enough room for Edward to push himself between them. His hands moved to explore the thin fabric of her tank top that she tried to pass off as business casual. As they slid down so that they were both lying in the grass, Bella wrapped her legs around Edward's torso and pulled him closer to her.

"Fuck," Bella whispered between kisses.

"Really?"

"No, fuck, what are we going to do now?"

Edward sat up. "Oh, that's fine. We can pretend like this never happened. I'll go head back to the learning center now."

"Oh, no you don't!" Bella pulled Edward into another marathon lip lock, and the two went tumbling to the ground again.

It wasn't until Bella's stomach, which was not full at all from her miniscule breakfast of a banana, began to rumble that the two realized they would have to resurface and face reality. Yes, for these two, their morning of partner discovery had meant an entire morning filled with making out, exchanging saliva, and some heavy, albeit over-the-clothes, petting.

"So we have to do this again after lunch for you?" Bella asked as they walked hand-in-hand back to campus.

"Yes, another afternoon full of partner discovery, and there is so much of you I want to discover," Edward said as he plucked a few dried leaves from Bella's hair. "Perhaps we should try to sneak back to one of our rooms instead. You are one messy baby."

Bella felt her face grow hot as she tried not to look at Edward. Part of her was extremely excited he had been so aggressive and finally put their relationship out there, but she also knew that, at least while he worked under her, this relationship was extremely taboo. She wondered how well they would be able to hide it. Thankfully, as they approached the dining room building, she felt Edward's grip loosen, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do I look like I've been rolling around in the woods?"

"Yeah, but we'll tell everyone you fell instead."

"Thanks a lot."

Bella ate lunch and tried to make conversation with the few people she had conversed with previously. Most people had stayed around the learning center for the morning's activities, and only a few had ventured outside. When asked where they went, Edward explained that they had gone on a nature walk and explored the campus. Bella bit her lip and tried to suppress her giggles.

After lunch, they headed back into the main classroom, where Bella found her long forgotten but much beloved Blackberry blinking with new messages. Reluctantly she checked in with the real world. Nothing was pressing, but she did have several BBMs from Alice asking how things were going. Bella wasn't sure how to respond, so she didn't and looked over at Edward who was smiling at her. She wasn't ready for the real world and the world that she and Edward were creating to merge.

Yes, it would be hard to realize the synergies in that merger. How would they act when they were back in the city? Would this be just a fling? How could she evaluate Edward objectively when she was no longer objective?

"Bella, it's time for you to blindfold me." With a finger, Edward held up the black blindfold for Bella to tie around him.

_Hmm I wonder if we could keep this? This could come in handy later. _Bella thought of not only having Edward blindfolded but handcuffed to her bed. She then thought about her being blindfolded and being spanked.

"Are you going to sit there licking your lips, or are you going to blindfold me?"

Bella complied and led Edward back to the hotel rooms. After making sure no one was watching them, she led him down the corridor to their rooms and reached into her pocket and pulled out her key card.

"Stay here." She slid the card into the door and quickly went inside, making sure that everything was in order to have a visitor. Once her dirty underwear was out of sight, she retrieved Edward and brought him inside.

After the door closed behind them, Edward quickly removed the blindfold and started to inch closer to Bella.

"Hold on. We still have an assignment to do, slacker."

"Fine. Extrovert, intuitive, feeling, and perceiving. I learn by doing, which you already know, and I'm aggressive, which you also already know. Happy? Let's go back to where we left off." Edward threw the blindfold on the bed and led Bella by the hand over to it. She sat down facing him as he moved closer to caress her face.

Catching his hand, she stopped his hand from traveling any lower. "Slow down, tiger. Let's not rush this. I'm not going anywhere."

"You better not."

As Bella realized she still knew very little about the man she was quickly falling for, she tried to think of things other than work, their relationship, or training to talk about.

"Let's ask one another questions?"

"Again? Don't we always play that game?"It did seem pretty trite. "How about we each talk about things we like, and when we have something in common, we each take off an article of clothing?" Edward suggested, raising an eyebrow.

Staring into his sparkling green eyes, she couldn't say no. "I like pizza!" she exclaimed.

"Wow, me too," Edward said as he began to unbutton his button-down Oxford shirt. As she watched him, Bella quickly took off her cardigan. "Well, that was an easy one."

It took all of twenty minutes for the two of them to strip down to nothing but their underwear.

Bella glanced down at Edward in his box briefs. He was completely edible in the tight black cotton, especially with the now protruding bulge. She definitely wouldn't need George this week, perhaps ever.

"So much for taking it slow." She shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace.

Edward pulled away for a short moment. "So much for a lot of things," he murmured into her ear as he went back to pressing his lips to hers and his body into hers.

**AN: I couldn't stand anymore UST. Let me know your thoughts. I will respond with a teaser (when I have something to share).**


	11. Chapter 11: Take it to the Next Level

_Chapter 11: Take It to the Next Level_

_Take it to the Next Level – 1. to elevate or increase 2. to ratchet up; may be used in reference to intensity or performance, but often is thrown out there for effect, leaving the "it" undefined._

**AN: Sorry this took so long. I couldn't do this alone – huge thanks to LittleSecret84 and IsabelGrace for pre-reading and to DianaWolfskill for being an awesome beta. I am posting this on birthday as my gift to you, my readers. Thank you.**

"Edward we can't do this."

"Bella, we are doing this," Edward responded in a stern voice.

"Edward, I said no. What part of "no" don't you understand?" Bella grew increasingly annoyed at her coworker. She hated how she and Edward were on equal footing at training.

"What part do you object to?" Edward asked.

"I'm not standing up in front of the entire class and doing a skit to demonstrate what we've learned." Bella hadn't gotten much out of the training. Sure, she and Edward had a deeper understanding of one another and had bonded in ways that no other team had at training, but Bella was on guard.

She stopped Edward before they went all the way during their afternoon "partner discovery" session. She wanted him, boy did she want him, but Bella didn't want to appear easy and wanted Edward to work a little. She knew she was being a cock tease, but Bella didn't want their first time together to be at Merit Ridge, either.

She had held him at bay, but with training wrapping up tomorrow, there was still a question about how the two were going to spend their weekend. Bella had always assumed that she and Edward would return to the city on Friday afternoon, when training had concluded, but now she wasn't sure. Edward had mentioned in passing spending the weekend in the country.

Edward raked his lips up Bella's neck to her ear. "Oh, come on, Bella, I'm sure we could teach some of those old fogies a thing or two. That thing you did with your tongue last night was definitely worth sharing."

"Edward!" Bella blushed, recalling how she and Edward had pleasured one another orally last night. Her mind wandered to the feeling of Edward's tongue lapping at her insides as his fingers explored her, each touch bringing her closer to climaxing. "Am I going to have to spank you, you naughty boy?"

"Maybe," he replied, slowly pulling away from Bella. They didn't have to hide their relationship – they had chosen to work on their final pitch-out in Bella's room.

He knew Bella brought up spanking because he had told her the story of how when he was a toddler he had refused to wear his glasses and had to endure a stern spanking by his parents. Bella couldn't believe that Edward's parents had been spankers, but Edward had explained that he had been a terror as a child and that the barbaric practice was the only thing that modified his behavior. Time-outs, he had explained, simply held no consequence for young Edward. She found that hard to believe, but Edward insisted he had been beyond difficult. In fact, his behavior had been the major reason for his only-child status. That was one of the many things the two of them had in common. This shocked Bella; when she had seen his parents' house she made an assumption that his upbringing had differed greatly from hers. In many ways it had, but they shared many of the same likes, dislikes and values.

"I'll negotiate with you," Edward stated.

"I'm intrigued. What are you offering?"

"No skit. Instead we will present a boring PowerPoint presentation on our key takeaways and in exchange you allow me to take you away for the weekend."

"So, you are offering that we do the presentation the way I want to do it and you want to spend the weekend with me? Yes. Yes, I fail to see the downside. I'd call this a win-win situation. I do have one question before we shake on this; where are you taking me?"

"Umm, I haven't made the arrangements yet, but it's a surprise. You have to trust me."

Trust wasn't something that came easily to Bella, but despite her better judgment, she was starting to open herself and her heart to Edward.

Reluctantly, she nodded her head. "Okay, I'll trust you." Her voice wasn't ringing with confidence.

Edward tenderly kissed her forehead. "Then that's that. Now scoot over, and let the PowerPoint Master take over."

Rolling her eyes, Bella pushed her laptop over to Edward. "It's all yours." She stood up. It wasn't like Bella to relinquish control of a project to someone else, but it wasn't as if they were going to be graded on their presentation.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I suddenly have an urge to take a hot shower. You know, lather myself up real good." She licked her lips and smirked.

"No, no, no. Get back here and help me with this. We're a …"

Edward stopped talking as he watched Bella slowly push her pants down and whisk her top over her head. Bella watched as Edward's eyes raked over her body, completely unaware that he was now walking toward her. Bella pivoted around and walked toward the bathroom, shedding her remaining articles of clothing.

"Care to join me?" she called out.

Bella didn't have to wait long. As soon as she stepped into the shower, she was quickly joined by a naked Edward. It didn't take long for his lips to find hers and for other parts of him to seek out their counterparts. When Bella turned around to wash the soap out of her hair, she felt him poking her.

"Edward, not in the shower," she scolded.

He kissed her neck and lathered her back with the soap. Although she enjoyed feeling his growing erection pushing into her back, Bella turned around, hoping that her lips could serve as a distraction from her unwillingness to fully consummate their relationship.

As she moved to her knees and placed Edward in her mouth, Bella couldn't help as her mind started wandering. _What is this? Is it a relationship? What happens when we get back to the office? Do I want to be in a relationship with Edward? What would this lead to? This is wrong. Really wrong. _

Disregarding her uncertainty, Bella refocused on the task at hand and moved her mouth up and down his hardened shaft. Her tongue flicked along his tip. For a penis, his was as attractive as they come (no pun intended). It wasn't a monster, but it wasn't a roll of quarters.

"Bella, I'm gonna…" Edward cried, running his fingers through her hair.

Instead of moving away and letting his cum get washed down the drain of the shower, Bella held on like a champ as the hot liquid squirted in her mouth. She swallowed it quickly and stood up.

"Amazing. You are amazing," Edward declared, kissing her on the lips,not caring about any snowball effect from residual cum.

After their shower interlude, Bella and Edward dressed and got to worked on their presentation. Bella was amazed at how in-sync they were after only a few days at training.

"Do you really think we should put in a bullet point on our learning styles?"

"Well, I do learn by doing!" Edward exclaimed, kissing Bella on the neck.

Bella looked down, feeling guilty for doubting Edward and his feelings for her. She was unsure how they should proceed, but she had never spent time with someone who made her feel as confident as Edward did. When he was around, all of her insecurities, except for those about her relationship with him, melted away.

Bella yawned as she listened to the other teams present. Most of them said the same things about how their newfound understanding would help productivity, but she knew that wasn't really applicable with her and Edward, since they worked on projects. No, this training had opened the doors to communication.

Bella was still curious about the gaping holes in Edward's past. She knew he had gone to Europe, but was still unsure why. It was very clear to her that he came from money, and while she wasn't used to being around wealth, Edward wasn't the type to overtly throw it around. This week, she suddenly realized his shirts were custom-made and that his laptop bag wasn't standard company issue, but a Tumi messenger bag. He wasn't a braggart at all, like some people she had encountered who had wealth. In fact, if anything, Edward seemed to do everything he could to avoid talking about wealth and his family background.

"Isabella and Edward," the instructor called out.

Bella's heart began to thump louder in her chest. She hated public speaking. No matter how much she practiced, she was always a bit shaky.

"Ed-Ed-Edward and I learned um… about one another this… um…this week. Most importantly we uh learned that communication is um… communication is really important," Bella stuttered, her practiced speech littered with filler words.

She looked over at Edward,who nodded encouragingly toward her. Their eyes met and he took over. Edward went over their lessons learned from each of the training modules and then threw the pitch back over to Bella to close.

When they returned to their seats, Bella was shaking. Placing his hand on her bouncing leg, Edward leaned over and whispered, "You did great. There was nothing to worry about."

Instead of replying, Bella bit her lip and looked down, hoping no one else noticed Edward's hand on her thigh.

Bella was waiting in the lobby as Edward went to retrieve his car when she heard someone call her name.

"Well, if it isn't Isabella Swan." The voice called out.

Bella turned around and found herself face to face with James Woods.

"James, what are you doing up at Merit Ridge?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Corporate training. What'd you get dragged up here for?"

"High-potential team training."

"You are anything but high potential. Who'd you come with?" James looked down at his feet. Bella could tell he was jealous that she had been chosen for this training.

"Edward Cullen, he's my rotationer."

"A rotationer, really? You know, Bella, most people sleep their way to the top, not sleep their way down."

Bella swallowed deeply. James couldn't know, could he? Technically she hadn't slept with Edward, yet. How'd James know? He couldn't, she decided.

"Edward is excelling in this rotation. Sam wanted us to come since we have such great synergy as a team. "Bella wanted to bang her had against a wall once she realized she not only used the word synergy in a sentence, but she had used it to describe her interaction with Edward.

"Bella, there you are. The car's out front and ready to go. I just need you… I mean, your suitcase," Edward said as he came jogging up beside her. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, Edward. This is just James Woods. He and I were rotationers together." Bella carefully gauged James' reaction to Edward. He definitely suspected something was afoot.

"James Woods? Really? That must suck," Edward said, sizing James up as he shook his hand.

"Edward? I've heard about your great synergy with Bella," James retorted snidely.

"She's a great manager – never afraid to give me more responsibility. Isn't one of those people who is threatened by others, but you know Bella. She's a leader amongst leaders."

Bella smiled and tried to hold back her laugher. She knew she was blushing from Edward's compliments, even if he was bloviating.

"Edward, don't get bogged down doing financial valuations. You could really make a name for yourself at corporate when you finish up the rotation."

"I'll keep that in mind, James, but I do enjoy sealing a deal. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, but we've got a long drive ahead of us."

Bella was amazed at how quickly Edward upped his level of snideness to match James'.

"Heading back to the city for the weekend?" James asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Uh, yeah. Where else would we go? Have fun at training," Bella said quickly. She then grabbed her suitcase with one hand and used the other to pull Edward by the forearm toward the door. She didn't bother saying a proper goodbye to James; he wasn't deserving of one.

Edward took the suitcase from Bella and placed it in the trunk. "I take it you don't like James?" he asked, crossing his arms, waiting for an answer.

"He and I have competed for everything since we were both interviewing for the rotationer program. He always seems to rub me the wrong way. Hey, can't we talk about this while we get out of here. I always feel like we are being monitored here."

Once they were both in the car, Edward turned to Bella as he buckled his safety belt. "If James rubs you the wrong way, how do I rub you?"

Bella playfully slapped at Edward's arm. "Where are you taking me?" she asked as Edward made his way to the main highway.

"You'll see." They didn't talk much during the first half of the three-hour long drive. It was a comfortable silence, as they were both tired of talking, despite Bella still having a million questions for Edward.

"Edward, I feel ridiculous asking this, but are we there yet?" Bella shifted in her seat, glad she had gone to the bathroom before they left Merit Ridge.

"Another hour. It'll be worth it though."

Bella felt Edward lightly shaking her. "Hey, sleepyhead, we're here."

Opening her eyes, Bella's gaze set upon a grand white hotel in a picturesque landscape. "Where are we? Is this your palace?"

"Oh, yes, I am a European prince and I have brought you to my palace in upstate New York," Edward deadpanned. "No, it's the Sagamore on Lake George. Sure, we'll have a long drive back on Sunday, but we were already halfway here being at Merit Ridge."

Bella didn't say anything but mentally she was readjusting her monthly budget to accommodate the expenses she would incur this weekend. _Ramen noodles for lunch and dinner and I can live under a couple of dollars a day. _

Bella followed Edward as he approached the check-in counter. "I have a reservation for a king suite under Cullen."

"Yes, of course, I have the room already paid for, but I need a credit card for incidentals."

Before she could even react, Edward pulled out his wallet and handed over his Amex card to the clerk. Bella had her own Amex card. It was the one with the blue square. Edward's looked more exclusive. "Umm, I thought we were splitting expenses," Bella said, looking up at Edward.

"Don't worry about it. I've got it."

"No."

"Yes, I am. It's no big deal for me."

"And why is that? Oh, yes, your secret life!" Frustrated, Bella walked away from Edward, resolved to slip a check into his suitcase. She sulked her way into a cushiony, overstuffed, leather club chair. Edward didn't follow immediately. As she sat there, Bella's anger and frustration grew. First, she decided there would be no nookie until he told her why he was in Europe, but then she started rethinking being at a resort with Edward altogether.

Edward came up to Bella and dropped to his knees to talk to her face to face. "Bella, let me treat you this weekend. I don't like to throw my money around, but I figured with how crazy work has been, then training, and now this," he motioned to her and him. "I thought you could use a little pampering. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"This whole…." Bella searched for the right word, "relationship is unbalanced. At work, I'm your boss. Out of work you are this top secret jet-setter. Maybe this isn't going to work."

Edward didn't flinch at Bella's words. "Up. Now," he ordered. "You are tired and we are going upstairs to our room to shower and rest and then we will talk."

Bella was a bit taken back by Edward commandeering the situation, but he was in the rotational program and he was definitely demonstrating his leadership skills. Realizing that her own thoughts were annoying and work-related, Bella relented and nodded her head.

"The bellhops took both of our suitcases upstairs already; we're on the 4th floor."

Bella slowly woke up from her much-needed nap to find the room dark and Edward on the bed next to her. She felt more relaxed, but she was still unsure about Edward and their relationship.

"You're up. Want to order room service?" Edward asked. Apparently he hadn't slept as long as she had.

Bella started mentally adding the cost of dinner to her tab for the weekend in her head. If she ordered a salad, it couldn't be that expensive. Could it?

Edward ordered some food, including a salad for Bella. Instead of confronting the now-awkward silence, Edward put on the evening news. Bella went to the bathroom to freshen up. When she came out, the food had arrived.

"I put your salad on the table. We should talk," Edward said. Bella winced at those words. The phrase "we should talk" never turned out well.

They ate quietly for a few minutes before Bella couldn't hold back anymore.

"Edward, this is all happening really fast. We are being reckless here with our careers there are so many implications for us being together. Besides that, you have all of these secrets from me. How can I sleep with you if I still have an underlying fear of catching some strange sexual disease that you got from Paris Hilton or some other heiress while you were in Europe?"

Edward chuckled, "I didn't sleep with Paris Hilton or any other spoiled or unspoiled heiress while I was in Europe. It wasn't really like that for me. Getting back to us. What do we do all day at work, Bella? We measure risk. You know sometimes the riskier the investment the greater the reward. I've thought about this for weeks and the reward of being with you is worth the risk. I'm not risk-averse, are you?"

Bella thought about it. She tended to be pretty conservative in life and always played by the rules. She thought about how she felt when she was out with him a few weeks ago and how she had felt this past week. He fit. She couldn't quite describe it; happy was too simple a term, but she also felt like she had to hold back. His evasiveness about his past didn't exactly warrant trust.

"I can't lie to you and tell you that I am a risk taker. I'm not; I play life by the book. I want... No, I need to know about your past. I need to be able to trust you."

Edward took her hand and covered it with his. "I know. I'm just worried you aren't going to like what I have to say."

**AN: I'm auctioning myself off in Fandom Gives back in a few days. I will really write anything you want me to write, but please someone bid on me. Huge thanks to everyone for putting this story on alerts. Teasers for the next chapter (when I have it) come with reviews.**

**If you like my brand of humor you can always follow me on twitter stupidreader. I have to approve you, because strange people follow me if I don't lock it down. **


	12. Chapter 12: Brain Dump

Chapter 12: Brain Dump

**AN: I am so overwhelmed with the reviews. Thanks to Isabel Grace, LittleSecret84, and DianaWolfskill for pre-reading and beta-ing**

_**Brain Dump: 1. To communicate a large amount of information, particularly when handing off a project to someone else 2. To have someone place a foot-high stack of files filled with the illegible and incomprehensible notes on your desk , clog your email inbox with a dozen or so messages, and talk to you for twenty minutes about useless information 3. An act that will be followed by the statement, "So, is that clear? Do you have any questions?" – which is your only opportunity to get the information you need regarding the project; of course, you don't have enough information to know what you will desperately need to know in two weeks, and the person who is asking you this knows it and is, in fact, relying on it. **_

Bella paced around the tastefully decorated, yet overpriced hotel suite. She wanted to know Edward's big secret. She had waited long enough. Since she had met him, he had managed to deflect questions about his recent past. In the last week, she had learned that his father was an AIG executive and his parents' home was constantly surrounded by protesters angry about his father's company's misdeeds. Edward did reveal that between college and Big Bad, he had spent time in Europe. Why and what he was doing were still the big questions looming.

"Bella, you are making me dizzy. Please come and sit down, so that I can talk to you about this. I want you to hear me out. No, I need you to hear me out," Edward pleaded.

"Is it really that bad?" Bella asked, looking over toward Edward. He was sitting down in one of the room's many chairs, running his hand nervously through his hair.

"I'll let you be the judge of that. If, after I tell you everything, you hate me and don't want anything to do with me, then I will get myself a separate room for tonight and we'll go home tomorrow."

Bella considered Edward's offer, before taking a seat in the chair across from where Edward was sitting. "Okay, I am ready. The suspense is killing me. Just tell me already! Wait , let me guess - you used to be Edwina and you were in Europe for a sex change?"

Edward tilted his head back and let out a deep-belly laugh. "No, I am all man."

He then swallowed hard and leaned forward into his chair. "Okay, here goes. My parents never talked about money. You've see my parents' house in New Canaan, and most of my friends lived in similar size houses. I didn't realize it wasn't normal. I guess you would say I grew up very sheltered. Anyways, when I went to Dartmouth that all changed." Edward paused for a second.

"Apparently, the Cullen name goes back to Colonial times. We weren't one of the Mayflower families, but we were fairly close. So I was sought out by an elite group at Dartmouth. They wined and dined me, under the guise of being my friends. I trusted them. That was my first mistake."

Edward looked up to see Bella nodding along.

"Well, this doesn't sound that bad, Edward I know your family is very well-off. Your dad's an executive and your house and car sort of tipped me off."

"It's more than that, which brings me to the next part of my story. One night we were drinking pretty heavily. I think it was century club or something like that; binge drinking 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes. You know, one of those binge drinking nights in college that you instantly regret the next morning. I had been drinking very heavily when the topic of trust funds came up."

"Trust funds? You have a trust fund?" Bella asked. She had never been close with anyone who had a trust fund. Sure, she had assumed those people who could sit in cafes during the work day must have some funds to live off of, but they were never in her direct social circle.

"Uh, yeah. I had one. I still do, kind of. Grandpa Cullen had one set up for me – a generation-skipping trust. It was a tax play to protect the family fortune."

Bella nodded along. Her financial education had given her some exposure to estate tax laws.

"As we were drinking, some of the people started talking about their trust funds. I must have shared the details of mine. My grandfather was a joker and put in all of these stipulations."

"Like what?"

"It's really stupid. I don't openly share these with everyone, but I trust you, a lot. I received a third of the money when I graduated college, I will get a third when I marry, and another third when my first child is either born or adopted. Well, what's left of the money, anyways."

Bella arched an eyebrow. "I don't see why this would make you flee to Europe? Sure, the stipulations are a bit odd, but…"

"Oh, no, there's more. It's taken me a while to figure this all out. A few weeks after that party, I was introduced to this girl, Tanya. She was beautiful, smart, and funny. It was like she was made for me. For me, it was love at first sight. We became inseparable for the rest of my freshman year and even stayed in touch over the summer. When we came back in the fall, it was like no time had passed. I finally introduced my parents to her that fall during parents' weekend. In my mom's words they didn't "care" for her, which is putting it lightly. "

"Your parents seem like the type to like everyone. They must have had their reasons," Bella retorted.

"They tolerated her, because they didn't think it was that serious."

"Was it?"

"I proposed."

"What! When! Are you married? Oh my god, you're married." Bella buried her face in her hands.

"Bella, I'm not married!" Edward quickly shoved his left hand in front of her to show it was sans wedding band.

"She didn't say yes?" Bella couldn't ever imagine anyone turning down a marriage proposal from Edward.

"No, she said yes. I proposed at the beginning of our senior year. My parents were pissed, for lack of a better word. They did everything to talk me out of not marrying Tanya. Everything, but I was blinded by love. I even threatened to turn my back on them if they didn't support me."

"What was so horrible about Tanya? I don't understand."

"Nothing, really. She came from a good family, who appeared to be very well off, but it was just that – smoke and mirrors. What I didn't know then, but later learned, was her whole family lived way beyond their means and were on the brink of foreclosure of their McMansion. Tanya herself never appeared to be that interested in my money. Sure, I paid for stuff, but she offered at first and then eventually stopped. I never thought much of it. She was a communications major, though she wasn't planning to work after she graduated. We were going to get married in June and she was going to set up our house. It made sense to me. We, I mean, I would have a decent-size check coming to me from both the wedding and graduation, so we would be well set up."

"She wasn't going to work and you were okay with this?"

"It made sense to me at the time. It was her idea not to work and when she explained her plans to me, it had made sense. My mother is not one of those trophy wives, though. She's seen her fair share of women whose sole purpose is to stay in shape for their man, and she didn't want that for me. She wanted someone who would continue to challenge me and be my equal, just like she is to my father. For my parents, it wasn't just the fact that she had no plans to work, ever. The not working thing was just one of a lot of little things that they had noticed about her and didn't like."

"I thought your mom just did charity work?"

"My mom does charity work just as Elizabeth Dole did charity work in running the American Red Cross. My mom has her MBA and worked on Wall Street for several years before and after I was born. After she missed a show my preschool performed, because of a meeting, she quit. Later when I was in school more, she would volunteer with local charities, but was always home in time to meet my bus or to pick me up at school. She always says that there are so many charities that lack leadership with business backgrounds, which is why she volunteers her time."

"Wow, I think your mom is my new hero. Back to Tanya though, I 'm curious, did you go through with marrying her?"

"I came real close, but no. During finals, I surprised her with Chinese takeout at her apartment I let myself in with my key. I called out to her, but she didn't hear me come in. First I thought she wasn't home, but then I overheard her talking on the phone in her bedroom. She was saying all sorts of things about how she landed me and talking about my money like it was hers already. She talked about me like I was some type of big fish that she had caught. She said that she needed to only stick it out with me for a few years until the prenup ran out and then she could take me for half of my trust fund. She didn't love me; she only loved my money. The horrific thing was I heard her say all of this. At that moment, it was like my entire perception of who she was, was suddenly shattered. I saw her for what she was – a gold digger."

Bella wasn't sure how to respond she stared at Edward for a few minutes and then she took particular interest in the pattern in the carpeting. This was a lot for Bella to take in, so she went with humor. "I ain't sayin' she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke…" She started to sing, lifting her head up and bobbing it back and forth to the beat.

"Bella! "

"Sorry, Edward, the words "gold digger" automatically brings to mind that Kanye song. I sometimes bring in humor to defuse overwhelming situations. At least she had agreed upon a pre-nuptial agreement, in the practical sense it is what you needed to protect your family's assets." Bella swayed back into being serious.

"Yes, she did sign the prenuptial agreement, but only after we agreed upon her receiving half after a couple of years of marriage. I was too blinded by love to see how she was manipulating me. I'm sorry you're overwhelmed. Maybe I shouldn't go on. You probably think I am such an ass."

"No! It's a lot to take in, but I want to hear it all. So did you kick that ho's ass to the curb? It still doesn't explain Europe. This is better than some daytime soap opera!"

"I'm glad my life's tragedy is so entertaining to you. I approached Tanya and told her I overheard her. First she claimed it was just a joke, but she was begging me to believe her. Usually if someone is telling the truth they don't have to beg you to believe them. I didn't want to be married to someone whom I couldn't trust. So, I did dump her ass that day. I took the ring back and everything. Tanya tried everything in the weeks that ensued to get me back. She even went as far as to fake a pregnancy. We had always used condoms, even though she was on the pill. I think, subconsciously, I never trusted her."

"Oh my goodness, Edward, that's horrible. Go on…"

"I felt so ashamed. I muddled through my finals, and moved back home, but I felt so trapped, so I ran. One day I was sitting in my room wallowing when I remembered I had my trust fund. I packed up a backpack and left for Europe. I didn't even say goodbye to my parents. At the time, I really resented them, in fact I hated that they had been right about Tanya. I couldn't bear to sit with them night after night, and even though they didn't say 'I told you so, the looks on their faces was enough."

"Edward, I am so sorry. How does this fit into that party freshman year?"

"You really don't miss anything. Have you ever thought about going to law school? I would have thought you would have forgotten. It took me a while to figure out, as I couldn't understand how Tanya could have sought me out, until I realized her old roommate had been at that party freshman year. It was the only time I had talked publicly about my trust fund. When I was in Europe, I lived off the money I received at graduation. I won't say I was a monk, but I wasn't there to fall in love and I will leave it at that. . I didn't trust anyone anymore. I drank like a fish and lived a lavish life, but I couldn't look at another woman romantically. To me, they were objects, available to satisfy an itch. Overall, women, especially those who looked like Tanya with blonde hair, made me sick. I looked at them and I saw Tanya, after only one thing – my money. Our entire relationship was built on lies, and I wasn't ready to trust anyone."

"Wow. I uh…I uh… I don't know what to say to that."

"I don't feel that way about you. Please realize that. You are different than those waitresses and grad students who were around for a few hours." Edward reached up and put his hand on Bella's thigh.

"After a couple of years, as the dollar became weaker and weaker against the euro, my money started running out faster and faster. I called home to my investment guy, and Bernie kept saying the money would be transferred, but it never came. It got to be tight and I knew my days of wandering the continent were coming to an end. So, I had no choice but to come home."

"Bernie?"

"Uh, yeah. That's why there's not much left of the funds I have yet to receive. See, Grandpa Cullen had a large portion, but thankfully not the entire trust, invested with Bernie Madoff."

Bella thought about the hundreds of people and organizations that had lost millions if not billions of dollars with a man who was running a Ponzi scheme. "Oh, Edward, that is awful. At least it wasn't everything."

"I know. Bella, you're the first woman I have been close to and have trusted. I don't want to be loved for my money. I want to be loved for me. I never wanted the trust fund, but what's left of it is mine if I ever get married and have kids. It makes me sick to even think about – that money only causes problems." Edward stopped talking and looked at Bella, try to gauge her reactions.

Bella bit back her lip. She had a look that indicated she was either going to cry or laugh.

"Do you hate me?" Edward asked.

Bella burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, Edward. When you said money causes problems all I could think of was Notorious B.I.G and Puffy's song "Mo Money Mo Problems... I don't know what they want from me, but the more money we come across the more problems we see..." Bella crooned.

"I'm so glad you have compared my life to a handful of hip hop songs. Real mature, Bella. Real fucking mature."

"Edward, what do you want me to say? Oh, poor little rich boy? I'm sorry you fell for that whore of a gold digger, but you were a kid. So, you made a mistake." Bella shrugged. She failed to see what all the drama was about. She pondered if Edward was just a drama queen and overreacted.

"Don't you see, Bella? I just told you that you were the first woman I have gotten close to and trusted in over four years. For far too long, I shut myself away from everyone for years – even my parents. My pride s what kept me isolated. I couldn't bear to listen to my parents tell me that they told me so on Tanya, so I stayed away. I hated that they had been right. I thought I knew what was right for me, but they were much more perceptive than I was. That little mistake has made me second guess my own judgment for years and secretly resent them."

"But things are better with them now, right?"

"Yes, of course. I got over the fact that they were right. My dad's the one who helped me get my foot in the door at Big Bad, but working there has definitely helped my confidence.

"Why do you work? Did Madoff really steal that much from your trust fund that you have to work?"

"The part that I received for graduating college is for all intents and purposes gone, but the rest of the money, when I do receive it, is never going to be an integral part of my life. I'm never going to let it define who I am. Instead, I plan to use that money to make the life I make for myself more comfortable and help people. I want to donate some of it to charities. Some of it will go to buying a home, paying for my children's educations, taking nice vacations. I don't want the lavish lifestyle. I want to be comfortable."

Bella stared back at Edward; everything he was saying only made her realize what a unique person he really was.

"Edward, I don't know how to respond to this. I think I need to process this and maybe get some rest. One question, though. When we were at your parents' house, I overheard them asking whether they should get their attorney involved and I thought it had something to do with me. What's that all about?"

"It's a good sign you are still sitting here. I didn't scare you away?" Edward asked in a quiet whisper, his eyes heavy, a combination of lust and exhaustion.

Bella bit her lip and shrugged. She was tired and overwhelmed.

"What if my parents want to do a background check on you?" Edward said, abruptly.

Bella's mouth dropped open as she thought about what the Cullens would find out about her. Deep in thought for several moments, Bella's face smooshed together.

"Edward, my dad's a cop, my mother's an overgrown hippy and a bit of a flake, and I am a type A overachiever, who likes to play by the rules. My relationship with you has been the most taboo thing I have ever done in my life. Go ahead," Bella said with confidence. She felt very indifferent to Edward's plight. Who hasn't made a few bad decisions in their lives?

"What if I talk to my attorney about the best way for us to proceed with our relationship?"

"Is he on retainer or hourly?" Bella asked, internally debating whether the fact that Edward had an attorney at his disposal should be a cause for concern. Then again, she did have Rosalie at her beck and call. Rose had even looked over Bella's latest apartment lease.

"Uhh, retainer." Edward shrugged.

"Well, I need to sleep on this. I have a lot of questions for you and I need to process all of this information."

"Do you want me to get another room?"

Bella thought about it for a moment; she and Edward had taken their relationship to a physical level but hadn't, as teenagers would say, "gone all the way."

"No, you can sleep here, but sleep. Maybe hang out here while I try to get some sleep.

Edward nodded and watched Bella slip from the sitting area and move into the bedroom.

Bella looked back and her eyes met Edward's. She couldn't see hurting him, but she also had to sort through everything he had said to her. Joking aside, she wasn't sure how she felt about all the baggage Edward was carrying with him.

**AN: Brain dump definition comes from ****The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit** **by Lois Beckwith. Published by Broadway Books, March 2006.**

**You know if you review, you'll get a teaser. That's how I roll. As always, you can follow my snarky-ass on twitter stupidreader**


	13. Chapter 13: Feedback

Chapter 13 – Feedback

**Feedback: 1. Information regarding one's performance on a project or overall 2. Information that can be allegedly be positive or negative, but is always negative; may be presented as neutral information or as a favor ("Let me give you some feedback on this") 3. A cornerstone of the performance review and the cousin of constructive criticism.**

**Huge thanks to ColourmeCullen, Littlesecret84 and Isabel Grace for pre-reading and beta-ing. My regular beta, is on hiatus, which I sort of am too. You see, I recently became a mom to an adorable 14 week old puppy. She's quite a handful and in my ever-so-Bella Swan-like way, I tripped over the baby gate and sprained my ankle. I wish I could make that up. Any mistakes are mine so if you see some awful grammatical or spelling mistakes – PM or hit me up on twitter and kick my butt.**

Bella closed her eyes pretending to sleep as she felt the other side of the bed dip down. She heard Edward shifting around, getting comfortable. He tossed and turned for a while, before finally drifting off to sleep.

She laid there going over Edward's story in her head. It really wasn't as bad as she had thought. He had made some mistakes and had run, but it wasn't anything as controversial as Bella's vivid imagination had dreamed up. She was sure he he had been Edwina and even though she had seen his cock, it was far too perfect to be naturally occurring, but apparently she was wrong, it was that naturally beautiful.

_Bella, stop thinking about his cock. _She chastised herself.

Bella's thoughts returned to rehashing what Edward had told her. She began rethinking whether or not she should even consent to a background investigation and regretted being so nonchalant about the whole thing. _I haven't even slept with the guy and he wants to perform an invasive investigation on my life!_

She turned and looked at him sleeping. He still made her heart hum. His confession hadn't shattered her feelings for him. As a person, she really liked him. There were just so many _buts _to overcome. She liked him, but she was his manager. She liked him, but he seemed to have a lot of trust issues. She liked him, but didn't like how he had been so secretive. She liked him, but wasn't sure it was enough to be subjected to a background investigation.

_But…But…Butt._ Bella turned over several times, seeking out a cold spot on her pillow. Her mind slowly lulling into a slumber thinking of all the buts of a relationship with a man with a very fine butt.

_Bella saw herself playing the old-fashion video game. How can I get Pac Man to move? She picked up the joystick and started moving her hand back and forth on it. The harder she moved the joystick the better she did at the game. Pac Man moaned. _

The morning light shined through the curtains of the hotel room, awakening Bella from her slumber. She turned over to see that she was once again alone. _He left me. _Her thoughts sending her heart and mind racing, she sat up quickly looking around for signs of Edward.

His bag was nowhere in sight. _He left me. Where's his stuff? Hopefully, he got another room. What if he left me here? How am I going to get home? He'd never leave me here, but what if he did. How would I get home? I guess I could get a bus to New York City. There's always a bus to New York City. Does he hate me? _

She still wasn't sure what she wanted from this relationship. In the daylight, her issues hadn't gone away; they were real issues not cockroaches. Itching her nose and rubbing her eyes, Bella started thinking rational again, well as rational as she could think. Then she was reminded of something that Edward had said last night and realized it all came down to beta. Life was always about the betas. She saw it all the time at the office – minimize beta and seek alpha.

Just when Bella finally got the strength to finally get out of bed, the door to the hotel room clicked and then slammed shut.

"Edward?" Bella asked, hoping she didn't have to deal with an awkward moment with hotel housekeeping.

Edward walked into the bedroom. "Oh, hey, you're up," he said, looking down.

He was holding a cardboard carrying case with two drinks and a bag. Bella noticed he was avoiding making eye contact with her.

"For a second, I thought you had left me. I woke up alone and I didn't see your stuff." Bella bit her lip, awaiting an explanation.

"Um, you sort of woke me up early this morning and when I couldn't go back to sleep, I put my stuff in the closet and went and got us breakfast."

"Do I snore?" Bella looked horrified.

Edward handed her one of the cups. "Here, don't worry it's not coffee. I got you fresh hot apple cider." He sat down next to Bella on the bed. "No, you'd don't snore." He took out a pastry from the bag and handed it to her.

"I click my teeth? Lick my lips? I talk?" She looked down questioning the pastry. Bella was hoping it wasn't cheese Danish.

"It's a chocolate cinnamon bun," Edward quickly explained, realizing Bella was unsure about the dessert-like food for breakfast. "No, you don't click your teeth or lick your lips, but you do talk or moan."

"Oh!" Bella said between bites. "Wait, is that all I do?" Moaning could be sexy.

"Uh. You don't remember anything from this morning when we were in bed together?"

Bella shook her head she had just taken a bite.

"You don't remember giving me a hand job this morning?"

"Rhat?" There was still a bit of roll in her mouth and some of it came out as she talked. Bella quickly covered her mouth.

"I woke up to you going at it on my cock. It was hot or it was at the time when I thought you were conscious."

"I am so embarrassed," Bella cried, grabbing the top sheet and hiding herself under it.

"If it makes you feel better, it's not the first time you've touched me in my sleep."

Bella slowly unfolded the sheet, revealing only her eyes. "What do you mean, it's not the first time I've touched you in your sleep?"

Bella thought she was going to be sick and was angry because the cinnamon roll was really delicious and hated to see it come back up.

"That night I crashed at your place and you were drunk, I may have woken up with your hand resting on my cock."

_Why wouldn't he have said something? _Embarrassed by her nocturnal actions, Bella sat up and looked at Edward. "May have or I do?"

"You did."

"Why didn't you say anything? Do you know how embarrassed I am right now? I'm mortified. You could sue me for sexual harassment. That's sexual harassment."

Bella buried her face in her hands.

Edward pulled her hand away and looked her in the eye. "I didn't say anything, because usually when a hot, beautiful, intelligent, funny woman does that to a guy; he doesn't complain. If you want to molest me in your sleep; I'm not going to turn down a handjob, a blow job, or any sexual act you care to partake in while in a dream-like state."

"But… but… I'm your manager. At least I am for the next few months and no matter how we spin it or justify it, we are breaking corporate policy. Jeez, not even breaking it, we're demolishing it. We are looking the corporate policy straight in the eye and hocking a huge loogie at it!"

Edward looked at Bella and laughed. "Did you just say loogie? I bet you've never even hocked a loogie!"

Bella's eyes widened. "Me! I grew up in the sticks. You, on the other hand, had etiquette lessons at your preschool."

They both fell silent. It was banter like this that made Bella not want to write-off the relationship.

"We didn't have etiquette lessons in preschool; it was kindergarten." Edward deadpanned.

Again, the silence overtook them. It was awkward.

Bella sighed before saying those dreaded words. "Edward, we should talk about last night and about us."

He nodded in recognition. Looking at him as he stood up, Bella noticed the fear in his eyes.

"Why don't we both get dressed properly for this fall weather and go for a walk?"

Still nervous for the impending conversation, Bella nodded her head and slipped into the bathroom.

Edward opened the door leading to one of the hotel's nature paths and allowed Bella to step in front of him. "So, this isn't awkward?" Edward commented, breaking the silence between them.

Bella nodded, but didn't say anything. Edward caught up with her and took her hand. "So, tell me,op do you hate me for not saying anything?"

Bella squeezed his hand. "Edward, don't be stupid. You were a kid and you made some bad decisions. If I hated everyone I met who didn't listen to their parents, I'd hate the whole world. Do you hate me for being a molester?"

"Actually, that is one thing about you I really like. You can molest me anytime."

The two walked down the trail hand-in-hand. "I like you, Edward and if our relationship is discovered I could be fired or at the very least reprimanded. This is my career. Sure, I don't love every aspect of it. Yes, when Mike talks incessantly about his kids, I want to turn on my iPod and tune him out, but I have bills, student loans, and my livelihood. I can't run home to mommy and daddy. Fuck, my mom comes to me for money. I am not afforded the same luxury that you have had – that you still have of fucking up."

"And I do? That's how you see me?"

"If you got fired, how long could you live off of your savings?"

"I don't know, I never thought about it."

"Four months. I can survive for four months on what I have in the bank. That means eating Ramen and maybe moving to an illegal basement apartment in Queens. I think about it all of the time. Big Bad did layoffs a few months ago – I thought about it. Lehman, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch being sold. Those people didn't exactly have job security."

"I…" Edward stuttered.

Riled up, Bella stopped walking and turned and faced Edward, where she continued to rant. "I didn't even mention AIG, but you know what happened there. Bailout. Maybe your dad doesn't have the best judgment in everything. Maybe you shouldn't beat yourself up for not following your parent's advice and dumping Tanya before you proposed."

Realizing the harshness in her tone and the hurt look on Edward's face, Bella put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stop her word vomit.

"First of all, Carlisle was not in the division that needed the bailout. Second, you're right. I don't worry about the same things you worry about, but if we get caught, guess whose name is going to be raked on Page 6 of the _New York Post_?"

"Yours."

"Yeah, my name, my family. Your name may be mentioned once, if that, but the Cullen name will be all over the place."

Bella mulled over the consequences for both of them as the continued walking. They weren't holding hands anymore, instead they walked next to one another each resting their hand at their side, with hopes that the other would reach out and grab it.

"Sam wants me to join the team and roll off of rotation a few months early. We'd only have to hide for a few months." Edward reached out and grabbed Bella's hand. "I can't imagine this ending badly. It's worth the risk to me."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Read my mind. This morning I thought about beta and alpha." Edward didn't say anything, unsure how his Ivy League education had given him a solid business education or if he had on-the-job training and didn't know the fundamentals. "Beta looks at the volatility of an asset in relation to the market. It's essentially how risky an investment is and alpha is the risk-adjusted return of an investment."

"Thanks for the lesson, professor. So, what does this have to do with us?"

"Edward, all my life I have always taken the safe route and I have been satisfied with the alpha. This is stupid." Groaning, Bella took a moment before continuing, "What I 'm trying to tell you is I want to take the risk too, but I have high expectations of a return in exchange for taking this higher risk."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you; you're the typical risk adverse investor, but Bella you are at the prime age to take a calculated risk."

"I know and I want that risk to be you. Maybe I am not willing to attempt to game this current, tumultuous stock market and toss whatever is left of my 401(k) aside, but I want you to be my big risk. I am sick of playing it safe. I want you."

Edward stopped walking and pulled Bella close to him. Looking down at her, he kissed her forehead. His lips then kissed the tip of her chilled nose and then they made his way down to her lips. They both were slightly chill from the coolness of the mid-October breeze.

When they pulled away, Bella blushed.

"So, boss, we're doing this?"

Bella looked up thinking. "I don't know what you are talking about. Edward Cullen and I are just close friends. We became friends at work and hang out outside the office. In the office we are strictly professional." Bella's eyes widened and she shook her head, trying to make herself believe the words she was saying.

"That's our story? What about Alice? I know she's your friend, but…"

Alice presented another problem. Since she was also a Big Bad employee, she was bound to report any wrongdoing.

"Alice has a way of knowing things, so we might as well not hide it from her. She won't say anything. She's not like that. She hates big bad. They treat the IT people like crap. She doesn't even get a bonus and gets so pissy when they talk about how everyone should be happy to even get a bonus this year. She's always like, 'Bonus? What's that?' Trust me; she won't have an issue with us."

"I didn't think we would, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Nine to five, you're the boss. After hours, I'm the boss." Bella looked at Edward sideways and crossed her arms under her chest. "I mean, you're the boss then too."

"You've got that right," Bella said, uncrossing her arms and pulling Edward closer.

The next few hours were spent exploring the area. They even took a hayride around the hotel grounds. It was an ideal autumn day; the trees were at their peak. Bella was glad she had a simple black pencil skirt to wear for dinner. Of course, it took a little effort to zip up. After a week of constantly being fed, the clothes were once again tight. Looking down, Bella noticed her skirt was pulling at the hips.

Walking out of the bathroom, she looked at Edward. "Does this skirt make my hips look fat?"

Edward stared at her and his lack of answer was proof positive that she did in fact look fat in the skirt.

"Ugh, why are we even going to dinner tonight, so you can roll me back to NYC? I probably won't even fit in your car."

Startled by her grumbling, Edward jerked to attention. "Sorry, no, you don't look fat. I was just thinking about…" He stopped short.

Narrowing her eyes, Bella asked, "What were you thinking about?" Edward didn't respond immediately. "Tell me, as your boss, I demand you tell me."

"You. My hands on your bare hips, as I take you from behind. I'm horny, so sue me," Edward shrugged.

His confession didn't even faze Bella, well it did make her picture his fantasy, but she was more concerned with her appearance. "So, I don't look fat in this outfit?"

"No, come on the sooner we finish dinner the sooner we can get back here and make up for our fight."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a fight." Bella thought for a few minutes as they made their way to the elevator. "Okay, maybe we did fight a little, but you've been all enigmatic since we've met."

The elevator doors opened and a group of people dressed in formal attire joined them; halting their conversation. When they reached the lobby, the doors opened and they saw that a bride and a groom were smiling for pictures.

"Guess there's a wedding tonight." Edward observed. As the other elevator passengers greeted the bride and the groom.

_Really? Captain Obvious? This can't be good. Edward had Ward and June Cleaver as parents and I was raised by General Patton and an overgrown hippie. My last relationship was a disaster and he's going to be cooing over this pair of wedding cake toppers._

"Suckers." Bella said, to quickly convey her apprehensions to the institution of marriage.

Once they were far away from the wedding, tucked inside the hotel's restaurant at a fireside table, eating butternut squash soup and pumpkin ravioli, Bella finally breathed a sigh of relief. That was, until Edward asked her about marriage.

"My parents' marriage sucked. My relationships have sucked. I am not sure if the whole thing is right for me."

Edward's face fell. Bella quickly realized her mistake – Edward's trust fund was reliant on him getting married. Like she did when she went to the gym, Bella backpedaled.

"I've never been with anyone for a long period of time that I saw long term. Okay, my last relationship was with this guy who pretty much used me for a place to crash when he went to party in New York City. I took him to Big Bad's Christmas party last year. It was a disaster. He danced."

"Bella, what's wrong with dancing?"

"He wasn't dancing, work party dancing. He was dancing, fist-pump dancing."

"He's from Jersey?"

"No, Long Island."

"Same difference."

"His friends were the sort of grease balls who liked to walk around in wife beaters and wear their baseball caps to the side."

"Really?" Edward laughed. "Bella you are so cerebral, I can't imagine you being with someone who doesn't challenge you intellectually."

"Like you?"

Edward's mouth curled into a half smile. "Yes." His smile made Bella shift in her chair.

She crossed and uncrossed her legs. Her heel dangled off the edge of her toe, until it fell to the floor. Bella took her foot and rubbed it up Edward's pant leg. She knew it was totally cliché, but she felt the need to make amends with her previous comments on marriage.

The waiter came by the table asking if they would like to see the dessert cart. Edward looked at Bella, raising an eyebrow, as she ran her toe around his taut calf muscle.

"Sure," he said, bracing for Bella to kick her shins, but she didn't.

"What? I like crème brulee." Bella shrugged, pulling her foot from Edward's pant leg and fumbling with her foot to get her pump back on.

The waiter returned with the dessert cart and it was an easy decision - the chocolate hazelnut crème brulee with two spoons.

They synchronized their spoons, cracking the shell and the taste – orgasmic.

Unfortunately, after their active day, the emotional strain and full bellies, the dessert was the only thing that was close to orgasmic that night.

**AN: Feedback definition comes from ****The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit** **by Lois Beckwith. Published by Broadway Books, March 2006.**

**You know if you review, you'll get a teaser, erm, eventually . That's how I roll. As always, you can follow my snarky-ass on twitter stupidreader. So, I got a puppy and she is just starting to settle into the household. I won't be updating as frequently, but will try. **


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